Karakurt Class (Project 22800)
The Karakurt class (Project 22800) is a compact guided-missile corvette displacing ~870 tonnes. Armed with an 8-cell 3S14 UKSK VLS for Kalibr, Oniks, or Zircon missiles plus a Pantsir-M naval air defence system, the class provides Russia's Caspian, Black Sea, and Baltic fleets with significant land-attack and anti-ship capability from a small, rapidly-built hull. Approximately 12+ units ordered and in various stages of construction/service. Russia has used Caspian flotilla Karakurts to fire Kalibr salvos into Syria and Ukraine, demonstrating the class's primary operational role as a standoff land-attack platform.
![NPO Mashinostroyeniya logo](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="200" height="60" viewBox="0 0 200 60"><rect width="200" height="60" fill="%23111"/><text x="100" y="38" font-family="Arial" font-weight="bold" font-size="13" fill="%23c8a84b" text-anchor="middle">NPO MASHINOSTR.</text></svg>)
- 8 Kalibr cruise missiles (proven strikes on Ukraine)
- Pantsir-M CIWS for self-defense
- Small 860t hull — cheap to build fast
- Black Sea and Caspian Sea basins deployment
- Low crew requirement
- Small hull — limited sea states
- Pantsir-M proved vulnerable in Black Sea
- Several Karakurt hulls sunk/damaged in Ukraine war
- Production disrupted by sanctions
- Limited open-ocean endurance
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SIGN INPilot workload reduction through automation is the real capability leap here, not just raw performance numbers.
Propulsion signature reduction is the most underreported capability on this platform.