Russians chain anti-aircraft Tor to their ships in fear of Ukrainian missiles

By David Axe

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has chained Tor anti-aircraft systems to at least one of its corvettes, hoping to protect the warship from Ukrainian anti-ship missiles.

Although the M2KM model does for ships, it is not at all certain that a Tor will help in real combat conditions. Already the Ukrainians have neutralized several Tors – in one case the anti-aircraft missile system was on the deck of a ship.

Last Wednesday, photos appeared online showing a 94-meter Project 22160 patrol boat – one of a total of four serving in the Black Sea Fleet – sailing near Sevastopol with a Tor-M2KM “chained” to its helipad.

Tor is a self-propelled crawler anti-aircraft system with its own generator, radar and missiles. Weighing only 15 tons, it is a suitable addition to ships that lack sufficient air defenses. It was in 2017 when the Black Sea Fleet first tried adding a Tor-M2KM to one of its frigates. Which means the Russians are not improvising in Ukraine. It’s a years-old plan – which doesn’t mean it’s effective.

The Black Sea Fleet paints and covers the registration numbers on the hull of its ships to make them difficult to identify, so we can’t be sure if the gun-armed Project 22160 in the recently released photo is the same one depicted in other photos on early June to have loaded a Tor.

Regardless, it’s obvious why the Russian Black Sea Fleet would combine patrol boats with Tor. After losing the cruiser Moskva – after it was “hit” by two Ukrainian Neptune missiles last April – the Black Sea Fleet has only two air defense ships. These are Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates, each carrying 24 medium-range Buk surface-to-air missiles.

The Russian Navy – to save its frigates from the fate of the Moskva – keeps its ships about 100 miles from the Ukrainian coast. This position prevents a potential Ukrainian attack with Neptune and Harpoon anti-ship missiles, but at the same time the Russian Buk with a range of 30 miles cannot protect the smaller and more lightly armed ships of the Russian Navy, which operate closer to the coastline.

Black Sea Fleet patrol boats, support ships, amphibious assault ships and corvettes are sailing unprotected in the waters of the western Black Sea, where the Russians are struggling to keep Ukrainian ports blockaded, preventing the loading and export of grain. While the port of Odessa – Ukraine’s largest – remains closed, cargo ships have begun to transport grain from ports on the Danube River inland.

The Ukrainian Navy no longer has a surface fleet, but its missiles and drones have proven particularly effective in maritime operations. After all, with the support of the Army and the Air Force, the Ukrainian PN managed in late June to drive out the remaining Russian troops in Fidonisi, 80 miles south of Odessa and 20 miles east of the Danube Delta.

The liberation of Fidonisi opened the way for ports in the Ukrainian hinterland. The battle for this dry islet revealed the anti-missile effectiveness – or ineffectiveness – of the Tor.

The Russian garrison at Fidonisi was equipped with – at least – two Tors. A Ukrainian drone destroyed the first one. The second was abandoned there by the Russians, when they left the island.

The Russian tug “Vasily Bekh”, plying the dangerous Crimea-Fidonisi supply route, was carrying a Tor on deck when it was sunk by the Ukrainians on June 17.

Possibly “Vasily Bekh” simply moved Tor to the island to reinforce the garrison. It’s also possible that the tug crew used Tor like the Project 22160 sailors: as a defense against missile attack.

The truth is that the Tors – whether at sea or in Fidonisi – did not prevent the Ukrainians from keeping the Russian forces out of the security zone they created in the western Black Sea. If a Neptune or Harpoon “sees” a Project 22160 loaded with the anti-aircraft Tor, then the Russian crew is in great danger.