Russia has launched a new variant of its Tarantul-class corvette with new equipment and a propulsion system. Naval News reported that the new version, dubbed “Tarantul IV,” includes a CODAD propulsion system as opposed to the COGAG and CODAG of the other iterations. Due to all-diesel engine propulsion, the corvette’s maximum speed has dropped from the 47+ knots of the previous Tarantulas.
The new configuration has switched from the P-500/P-1000 line of heavy anti-ship missiles to the smaller Kh-35 anti-ship missiles, which feature more modern guidance despite having a shorter range and a much smaller warhead. One of Russia’s Tarantul-class corvettes was sunk by a Ukrainian kamikaze USV attack, which was notable for its wolfpack-like nature, with multiple USVs hitting from different directions.
The Corvette’s inability to sense and respond in time against the USVs points out the shortfall in self-defence equipment. Given the fate of the previous Tarantul configuration, one wouldn’t be wrong to question whether the new configuration has an update to address the USV problems as well.
