Russian shipbuilders to repair world’s largest air-cushion amphibious assault ship

KALININGRAD, February 10. /TASS/. The Yantar Shipyard on the Baltic coast (part of Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation) will repair the world’s largest air-cushion small amphibious assault ship Yevgeny Kocheshkov operational in the Baltic Fleet, Shipyard Spokesman Sergei Mikhailov told TASS on Wednesday. "On February 9, the air-cushion small amphibious assault ship Yevgeny Kocheshkov docked at the Yantar Shipyard. The Shipyard’s specialists will inspect the ship and determine the required amount of repair works," the spokesman said. The repairs will take about two weeks, following which the warship will re-enter service with Russia’s Baltic Fleet, he added. The Yevgeny Kocheshkov is a Project 12322 ‘Zubr’ air-cushion small amphibious assault ship. The Yevgeny Kocheshkov and the same-type warship Mordovia are operational in the Baltic Fleet and are the world’s largest air-cushion amphibious assault ships. They are designated to sealift amphibious assault forces with their military hardware from equipped and unequipped shores, land troops onto the coast and provide fire support for the landing party. Thanks to their design specifics, they can move on the ground, bypassing small obstacles (ditches and trenches) and minefields, move through swamps and land the amphibious assault force into the depth of the enemy defenses. The Yevgeny Kocheshkov has been operational in the Baltic Fleet since October 1990. The warship displaces 555 tonnes and is 57.3 meters long and 25.6 meters wide. The small amphibious assault hovercraft has an operating range of 300 miles and can develop a speed of 60 knots. The warship is armed with two 140mm A-22 ‘Ogon’ rocket launchers, two 30mm AK-630 automatic guns and eight sets of Igla man-portable air defense systems. Read more