Koni-class (Project 1159)

History

Frigate battleships have been a mainstay of the modern navy for centuries and have evolved into a capable multi-mission form of warfare. During the decades of the Cold War (1947-1991), the Soviet Union designed and developed a new type of frigate for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), which became the top fourteen Kony class.

Built between 1975 and 1988, the model was later exported mainly to the navies of Algeria, Bulgaria, Cuba, East Germany, Egypt, Libya and Yugoslavia. The Konecranes were ordered to replace the expiring Riga-class frigate series of 68 ships, mostly in service with the same operators, although their origins date back to the 1950s.

The vessel displaces 1,140 tons under standard load and up to 1,900 tons under full load. The total length is 95 meters, the beam is 12.7 meters, and the draft is 4.2 meters.

Electricity is provided by 2 diesel generator sets connected to a single gas turbine arranged in a CODAG (Combined Diesel and Gas) scheme, which allows short bursts of straight-line speed when the gas turbine is engaged side by side with the diesel engine. The vessel can reach speeds of up to 27 knots and has a range of up to 3,300 kilometers.

35,000 hp on the lower 3 axles.

Very traditional profile with high bow and low stern. The bridge and associated superstructure are located forward amidships. The main mast (included) is located at the rear of the structure, and various other protrusions have been identified along the line from the bridge to the stern. Two large main towers exist - one at the bow and the other at the stern.

The chimney is well embedded in the design and installed as the rear of the bridge superstructure. The total crew is 110, including officers and seamen.

An onboard system consisting of various processors, kits, trackers, directors, and participating units. Sonar is also an appropriate part of the base design. Armament includes a SA-N-4 Gecko surface-to-air missile launcher and four SS-N-2C anti-ship missile (ASM) launchers.

4 x 76.2mm Dual Purpose (DP) guns and 4 x 30mm guns are mounted on the two turrets mentioned above. The warship is also equipped with 2 RBU-6000 series depth charge launchers and is equipped to carry up to 20 mines for dispersion preparation in contested waters.

The Koni class is the NATO reporting name, and the group is referred to in the Soviet inventory as "Project 1159". Three distinct construction lots emerged, led by the 1159 "Koni I" series ships produced for Bulgaria, East Germany and the Yugoslav countries. Then came the 1159T "Koni II" project, which included ships from Algeria and Cuba, and the 1159TR "Koni II" project, a warship delivered to Libya.

The main difference between the Konecranes I and Konecranes II series ships is that the former is designed for European waterborne operations and the latter is designed for warm water environments such as the Middle East. There may be some slight differences in design between groups of ships and the countries that operate them, resulting in some differences in overall size and weapon tuning.

The Konecranes class (Delfin) was used by the Soviet Navy at one point, but this was reserved for the details of the training of new types by foreign parties. The only example was finally delivered to Bulgaria in 1990 as "Brave".

Some Kony-class ships are still in service today (2015), but many of the top navies have retired and scrapped their inventory.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

WEIGHTS

POWER

PERFORMANCE

ARMAMENT

AIR WING