MAKHACHKALA, Dagestan. Dec 2 (Interfax-AVN) - The PSKR-500, the first fourth-rank vessel of Project 14230 Sokzhoi, performed better during comparative military tests than the PSKR-400 vessel of Project 14310 Mirazh.
"The tests were held on the Caspian Sea in late November in order to compare and evaluate combat and operational specifications of the vessels and possibilities of using them in the interests of the Russian Federal Border Guard Service," a source in the defense industry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Monday.
A commission led by Vice Admiral Vyacheslav Serzhanin, first deputy head of the Federal Border Guard Service's naval guard department, evaluated the maximum speed of the vessels, the period of gaining the maximum speed and slowing down from the maximum speed to full stop, the time needed for dropping and lifting the anchor, convenience of hoisting on-board assets, reliability of on-board systems and weapons.
"The Sokzhoi performed better than the Mirazh as far as nearly all criteria are concerned," the source said.
In particular, the Mirazh needs four minutes to gain a maximum speed of 41.8 knots, while the Sokzhoi is capable of gaining a maximum speed of 42 knots in two minutes. The time needed for full stop is 25 and 10 second respectively, for dropping the anchor five and 2.5 minutes respectively, and for lifting the anchor six and 3.5 minutes respectively.
Commission members noted other advantages of the Sokzhoi which was designed especially for the Federal Border Guard Service. As it is known, the Mirazh was initially designed for export. In particular, the Sokzhoi has a much lower draft which enables it to operate in shallow waters, a much higher economical speed and fuel consumption lower by 10 to 30 percent. Its propulsive device is much more reliable, specified service life of the main engines 2.2 times longer and habitability many times better.
Specialists concluded that automatically controlled interceptors installed in the Mirazh for creating an air cavern do not always produce a desired effect. There have been cases of the boat heeling 25 or more degrees because of the interceptors' unstable functioning. Such a heel can overturn the boat under certain circumstances.
The commission recommended the Almaz design bureau to consider replacement of diesel generators and elimination of other drawbacks exposed in the Mirazh during the comparative tests. The Sokzhoi is recommended for mass production for the Federal Border Guard Service in the framework of the Shipbuilding Program. The Mirazh is recommended for use in the Baltic Sea and the Sokzhoi for the Caspian and Azov regions.
The boat for the Far Eastern and Black Sea regions will be chosen after studying the experience in operating customs vessels of Project 1432 Merkuriy in these areas. The vessels are analogous to the Sokzhoi.
The Mirazh is produced by the Vympel joint-stock shipbuilding company in the town of Rybinsk in the Yaroslavl region. The production of the Sokzhoi is handled by the Volga shipyard in the town of Nizhny Novgorod.