A report published in June 2025 by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau reveals that there are still challenges that continue to stymie the Russian Federation’s efforts to completely phase out imported components, especially in the realm of shipbuilding. Almaz highlights foreign components its own design and production of high-speed boats for the Russian Ministry of Defense and Federal Security Service (FSB) as an example, but notes that the issue is widespread across all of the country’s 2000+ ship design, ship construction, and ship repair facilities.
As the report, the translation of which can be found below, points out, imported ship components were not an issue prior to 2014, the year the Russian Federation annexed Crimea. Even then, as manufacturers slowly but surely pulled away from doing business with Russian Ministry of Defense associations, a handful of other countries stepped up to offer their assistance. But the leading samaritans in this regard, India and China, produced quite sloppy products compared to their Western counterparts. Once the Russian Federation kicked off its ‘Special Military Operation’ in Ukraine in February 2022, foreign hangers on in the defense industry completed the split from doing business with Moscow. The last laugh was bitterly enjoyed by Ukraine, who was one of Russia’s strongest and largest providers of military and civilian shipbuilding and ship repair components.
Almaz provides a handy table of Western components in their most popular lines of armed speedboats. Because Almaz is Russia’s leading designer of not only speedboats, small and medium surface combatants, landing ships, mine defense ships, special purpose ships and vessels, and floating docks, one can only assume that the table provided is merely the tip of the iceberg. We can only assume that, as components need to be replaced for the foreseeable future, the weaker sisters to the Western components will only further weaken an already exhausted capability.
Almaz ends with a lukewarm guarantee that Russian-produced components will have achieved everything that the Western manufacturers provided, and more. Time will tell.
Here’s the translation.
Resolving the Challenge of Imports Phase-out for Propulsion Systems of High-Speed Vessels – the Single Most Important Challenge for Russian Shipbuilding for the Immediate Future
The propulsion system of any high-speed boats and vessels, together with the hull lines, includes: light high-speed diesel engines, gearboxes and water-jet propulsors or partially submersible propellers (PSPP), the so-called Arneson drives. Shipbuilders around the world have long been successfully using these packages as part of propulsion systems for the design and construction of high-speed boats and yachts.
The Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau is a leading Russian designer of high-speed boats, and has been engaged in trying to maintain this process. The design bureau has a number of completed projects, such as, for example, the “Mangust,” “Yastreb,” “Sobol,” “Katran,” and “Strizh” classes; the design bureau is also designing promising high-speed boats with a maximum speed of 44 to 60 knots, depending on the makeup of the power plant.
High-speed boats designed by Almaz are in high demand by both Russian security agencies and other civil agencies, such as the Russian Federation Emergencies Ministry, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Shipping, Fishing, etc.
But a primary fixture in propulsion systems on domestic high-speed boats and ships is that they are all manufactured mainly from foreign components, and from “unfriendly” countries. This is also seen with other Russian design bureaus that design boats for various purposes.
Below are examples of the use of propulsion systems on the high-speed boats designed by Almaz.
A striking example is the high-speed coastal patrol boat “Mangust,” designed to meet the customer’s needs in versions with a partially submersible propeller (PSPP) and with water jet propulsion. The boat’s power plant is a two-shaft diesel-gear unit with Arneson-type PSPP drives or water-jet propulsors. The power of the main engines used is 2×1100 – 1200 kW.
At various times, the Kamewa FF500, Kamewa 40A3, and Kamewa A45 water jets from Rolls-Royce (Great Britain) were used as water jets. The water jet models changed as the manufacturer updated the line.
The results of testing and operation of the boats for their intended purpose showed high reliability of the power plant, as well as high maneuverability of the boats when using water-jet propulsion units. The maximum speed of a boat with such a propulsion unit is 47–50 knots.
A total of 76 boats of various modifications were built based on this design, 22 of which had water-jet propulsion.
The small high-speed patrol boat “Yastreb” is also indicative. It is designed for the customer’s needs for the coastal areas of marine territorial waters, water areas and harbors, and lakes and mouths of shipping rivers. The power plant is a two-shaft diesel-gear unit with water-jet propulsion. The power of the main engines used is 2×330 – 460 kW.
At different periods, the Kamewa FF340 water jets from Rolls-Royce (Great Britain) and the Turbodrive 340HC from Castoldi (Italy) were used as water jet propulsion devices. When a Castoldi water jet is used, a gearbox is not required for the diesel engine, as it is built into the design of the water jet.
The results of testing and operation of such boats for their intended purpose showed that they quickly gain speed and are highly maneuverable. The maximum speed of a boat with a water jet propulsion system is 41–42 knots. A total of 16 boats based on this design were built in various modifications.
The operational rescue or personnel boat “Katran” is multifunctional and is designed to provide emergency rescue operations and towing of floating objects, support the underwater technical and diving operations of the carrier vessel, and support the routine activities of the carrier vessel when performing work as intended when the vessel is at anchor.
The power plant is a two-shaft diesel-gear unit with water-jet propulsion units. Power of the main engines used is 2×232 kW. The boat is used as a work-rescue and service boat on ships and vessels of various classes. The maximum speed is 32 knots.
The water jets used on the boat are HJ292 water jets from Hamilton Jet (New Zealand). A total of 6 boats of this project were built.
The high-speed motor yacht “Strizh” is intended for business trips, including for official entertainment purposes, sea cruises, and business meetings. It is intended for use in coastal areas. The power plant is a two-shaft diesel-gear unit with water-jet propulsion units. The power of the main engines used is 2×662 kW. The water-jet propulsion units used are the Kamewa FF410 water jets from Rolls-Royce (Great Britain).
The results of the yacht’s testing and operation show quick acceleration, smooth running, and high maneuverability. The maximum speed of the yacht is 43 knots.
Below is a summary table of components included in the propulsion systems of high-speed boats designed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau.
An analysis of the composition of components of propulsion systems confirms the statement about the use of exclusively foreign components from unfriendly countries, the dominance of which was due to several factors. First, the absence in domestic mechanical engineering in the production of light high-speed marine diesel engines with a capacity of 700 to 3000 hp and gear transmissions like ZF, which would be suitable for use in propulsion systems of high-speed boats and ships.
Based on the results of the analysis conducted by the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, it was established that domestically produced models of propulsion systems for use on high-speed boats and ships available for purchase do not meet the requirements of the Russian Federation Ministry of Defense and other security agencies due to a significant reduction in the performance of the final product.
Second, prior to 2014 (before Crimea and the city of Sevastopol were annexed by the Russian Federation), it was not difficult for designers to equip high-speed boats, including those for law enforcement agencies, with foreign components, choosing the most preferable options both in terms of technical performance of the equipment and in terms of cost, from a wide range of potential suppliers.
Third, an important factor in the use of foreign components was the established stable business relations with foreign manufacturers, which guaranteed the supply of practically any equipment from propulsion systems for any end users of high-speed boats and ships.
After the well-known events of Crimea’s annexation to the Russian Federation in 2014, and especially after the start of the Special Military Operation in 2022, the operation of high-speed boats and vessels became significantly more complicated due to the cessation of supplies of spare parts, oils, and lubricants from foreign manufacturers. Serial construction of boats also became more complicated due to the cessation of supplies of such equipment from abroad. And neither design bureaus nor potential consumers were prepared for such a turn of events.
[Translator note: ‘Special military operation’ is a euphemism intended to minimize the global reaction to what was, in essence, an invasion involving the purposeful targeting of Ukrainian civilian centers, churches, schools, hospitals, orphanages, domiciles, etc. In standard terminology, it is felt almost worldwide that the word ‘War’ would be far more fitting, but referring to it as such within the borders of the Russian Federation is illegal and will adorn the speaker or publisher of that word association with a mandatory seven-year prison sentence.]
All of this points to the acute problem of equipping serially built and newly designed high-speed boats and vessels with power equipment. Tackling this challenge is a critical task. This issue was articulated on 21 November 2022 at a meeting at the Russian Federation Ministry of Industry and Trade, where the it was included within the framework of the implementation of RF Government Resolution No. 1152 (August 1, 2020) and Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade Order No. 4461 (November 11, 2022) on the selection of areas for ensuring the technological independence of the Russian Federation from the use of foreign marine power plants for the creation of small vessels.
Considering the similarity of technical requirements of the River and Marine Registers for propulsion units, as well as special requirements of law enforcement agencies, the implementation of the import substitution problem will entail their mass production for the civilian sector, which will have a positive impact on the cost of production.
Following the meeting, the Department of Shipbuilding Industry and Marine Engineering of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade made a decision regarding the need to conduct a number of experimental design efforts to create propulsion system components for high-speed boats and ships by Russian enterprises. For this purpose, the Department instructed Almaz to develop technical requirements (TR) and technical assignments (TA) for such experimental design efforts, which have thus far been successfully implemented.
During the drafting of the TA, much work was done with representatives of the RF Navy Main Command, the Naval Academy Research Institute, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, and potential design bureaus and manufacturers of similar components for civil purposes, which can be modified for marine use.
Based on the work performed, there is confidence that if the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade decides to conduct R&D, the creation of propulsion systems will not start “from scratch,” but using prototypes of similar civilian products that have been mastered in production. For example, for the proposed line of inboard diesel engines, there are prototypes and serially-produced automobile engines from Avtodizel (YaMZ), in particular, the YaMZ-534 and YaMZ-536 with a power range of 115 to 612 hp, and the YaMZ-860 with a power range of 1000 to 2450 hp.
A distinctive feature of the proposed R&D is the development of not only an engineering design, design documentation, and production and operational documentation, but also the manufacture and testing of prototypes of light high-speed diesel engines, reversible gear transmissions, and water-jet propulsors. In addition, within the framework of the R&D, the creation of a test boat is planned, where the declared performance specifications of the propulsion systems will be confirmed.
In connection with the above, there is confidence that the issue of national importance regarding the implementation of a number of R&D projects to create domestic propulsion systems of the required power range for small vessels with the involvement of organizations with experience in this field of activity will be resolved in the very near future.
© 2025 by Michael Estes and TranslatingHistory.org
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