The Ivan Papanin is the first in a class of four Russian Navy icebreakers that can break more than just ice.
The Russian Navy’s Project 23550 patrol icebreaker Ivan Papanin has completed its sea trials and was officially commissioned into the Russian Navy at a ceremony in Severomorsk last week. It is the first of a planned four in its class, with the remaining three now under construction. The Kremlin has announced that all four icebreakers will be used to carry out patrol operations in Russia’s territorial waters and its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) within the Arctic region.
The Project 23550 class combat icebreakers were developed by Russia’s Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau and constructed by the United Shipbuilding Company (USC) at the Admiralty Shipyards in Saint Petersburg. The keel for the lead vessel, Ivan Papanin, was laid down in April 2017, and the ship was launched in October 2019.
Delivery was initially scheduled for the end of 2019, but delays and cost overruns delayed it, a phenomenon increasingly common in modern Russia. The slow progress was the result of industrial constraints, first by the global pandemic and then due to sanctions imposed on Russia following its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The program has continued to run behind schedule. The second Project 23550 vessel, the Nikolai Zubov, was only launched last year and has been undergoing her fitting out. According to the Kremlin, it is expected to enter service by the end of 2026. Both vessels will serve with the Russian Navy, while the next two, the modified “Ermak” variants, including the Purga, launched in late 2022 and currently being fitted out, and the Dzerzhinsky, which is now under construction, will eventually serve with the Russian Coast Guard and FSB Border Service.
Project 23550: Russia’s Armed Icebreakers
- Year Introduced: 2025
- Number Built: 1 (3 under construction)
- Length: 374 ft (114 m)
- Beam (Width): 18 m (59 ft)
- Displacement: 8,500 tons
- Engines: Diesel-electric propulsion; four Kolomna 28-9DG diesel generators (4 × 3,500 kW)
- Top Speed: 18 knots (20.7 mph, 33.3 km/h)
- Range: 10,000 nmi (11,500 mi, 18,520 km); 70 days
- Armaments:
- 76.2mm AK-176MA main naval gun
- Several 12.7mm heavy machine guns
- Eight Kalibr or Uran cruise/anti-ship missiles
- Crew: 49 (plus armed contingent)
Unlike the United States Coast Guard’s still-developing Polar Security Cutter class of icebreakers, which could enter service by the end of the decade, Russia’s Project 23550 patrol icebreakers will be multi-role surface combatants—combining the capabilities of an Arctic patrol ship, a tug, and an icebreaker. The vessels are designed to patrol and protect Russia’s claims in the Arctic. Each will be rated Arc7, meaning it can navigate through ice up to 1.7 meters (roughly 5.5 feet) thick year-round.
And the Ivan Papanin can break more than just ice. As a patrol vessel, it is armed to take on enemy naval vessels, though its armament (see above) is somewhat less impressive than a conventional cruiser’s would be. The combat icebreakers are further equipped with an MR-352 Pozitiv (Cross Dome) air and surface search radar, as well as a helipad and hangar, which could allow them to carry a Kamov Ka-27 and serve in an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role in a pinch.
The lead vessel in the icebreaker class is named for Ivan Dmitriyevich Papanin, a noted Soviet polar explorer and former Imperial Russian Navy conscript who fought with the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War. He was twice awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union and received nine Orders of Lenin.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock / maks_ph..
