Russia’s New Corvette Defense Against Drones: Guys With Machine Guns

The Russian Navy has equipped its Project 20380 Steregushchiy-class corvette Stoikiy with a decidedly low-tech addition—several manually operated machine guns—apparently to improve its defenses against Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels (USVs)

According to images published by the Russian Telegram channel Voyennyy Osvedomitel on July 29, the warship has been equipped with 12.7 mm Kord heavy machine guns and 7.62 mm PKM machine guns mounted along its sides, giving the crew additional firing positions against small, fast-moving surface targets.

The latest modification indicates that Russia continues to adapt even its modern frontline warships to the growing threat posed by Ukrainian naval drones.

Stoikiy serves with Russia’s Baltic Fleet and is based in Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad exclave. Open-source records show the corvette has carried out escort missions supporting Russian logistics traffic to Syria’s port of Tartus and participated in multinational naval exercises off Africa alongside ships from China, Iran, the UAE, and South Africa.

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Commissioned in 2014, Stoikiy is the fourth Project 20380 corvette built for anti-surface, anti-submarine, and air-defense operations.

The approximately 2,200-ton warship can reach 27 knots, carries a crew of about 100 personnel, and is equipped with a 100 mm A-190 naval gun, eight Kh-35 Uran anti-ship missiles, 12 Redut vertical launch cells, two AK-630 30 mm close-in weapon systems, Paket-NK anti-submarine torpedoes, and a Ka-27 helicopter.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that Russian authorities were considering arming civilian grain carriers operating in the Sea of Azov with heavy machine guns, mobile missile launchers, and military escorts to counter Ukrainian drone attacks on commercial shipping.

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