Russian Border Guard Patrol ship shows new SAM system

Images have emerged online of the Russian Border Guard Project 22460 Rubin-class patrol boat Rasul Gamzatov (511) with a new fixed man-portable air-defence (MANPAD) surface-to-air missile system (SAM) installed behind its AK-630M 30 mm gun.

It appears to be another derivative of the Altair/Ratep-developed 3M-47 Ghibka marketed by Almaz-Antey, although it closely resembles another system marketed by Ratep called Komar.

It is possible that it is a crossbreed of the two systems. According to Janes Weapons: Naval, negotiations had been initiated with a view to integrating the 9M336 Igla missile into the Komar system, upgrading from the older 9M38, 9M313, and 9M342 missiles in the Igla series and this could be the result.

Rasul Gamzatov is the only Project 22460 patrol boat with a fixed MANPAD SAM system installed. The ship itself has been delayed in commissioning, which was originally planned for late 2019/early 2020. Moreover, the class is not popular with the border guard and the number of ships planned for the force has been reduced from an estimated 30 to just 14 – Rasul Gamzatov being the last.

Since its launch in December 2019, Rasul Gamzatov