The Russian Navy is applying a radical new approach to protecting its most valuable warships from Ukrainian attacks. A deceptive camouflage scheme has been applied to the frigate Admiral Essen. This tries to confuse Ukrainian drone operators into mistaking their target. How well it will work is open to question.

One of the Russian Navy’s two Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates in the Black Sea has received a radical new paint scheme. Satellite images confirm that the bow and stern have been painted out. The dark paint applied over the uniform gray scheme is intended to deceive the onlooker.

The attempt at deceptive camouflage is likely a response to the Ukrainian Navy’s maritime drone threat. These use cameras to identify the target. Possibly the scheme is intended to confuse the drone operators into mistaking it for a less valuable target.

The satellite images, from Planet, were shared online by Ukraine war observer MT Anderson. Since the initial clear images in Sevastopol on June 19, the same ship has appeared in Novorossiysk on June 21. Together with other sources seen by Naval News, this confirms that the dark markings are a new paint scheme and not just a trick of light. Naval News is confident that the bow and stern of the ship have been painted out.

Although not seen in decades, this trick will be quickly appreciated by naval historians. During World War Two the Kriegsmarine applied a similar camouflage to the battleship K.M.S. Bismarck. This combined elements of both a deceptive and disruptive camouflage. The deceptive part, which is relevant here, was a false bow and stern painted in a dark color. There was even a fake bow wave and wake to match the apparent shortening of the hull. This was an attempt to confuse the observer to the size, and therefore the identity, of the ship.

The Threat of Ukrainian Drones

The Project 11356P Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates play a significant role in Russia’s attacks on Ukraine. They can each carry 8 Kalibr land attack cruise missiles. These are generally equivalent to the American Tomahawk and are frequently launched at targets deep in Ukraine. They are also the most capable warships in Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and act as flagships since the cruiser Moskva was sunk in April last year. The ships are thus seen as the ultimate prize for a follow-up to the Moskva sinking.

Despite ever increasing defenses, Ukraine’s maritime drones (USV) have repeatedly penetrated Sevastopol Harbor. These small boats are armed with a sizable warhead and pose a real threat, although it has yet to be translated into significant damage.

During these attacks a human operator uses the camera to discern targets. Any trick therefore, which inhibits their ability to identify the most valuable target, would be seen as worth it to the Russians.

Russian Navy Adapting to the New Realities of War

It is not the first ‘old fashioned’ camouflage which Russia has tried since the start of the 2022 invasion. In March last year just weeks after the start, the Russian Navy started painting over the hull numbers on ships in the Black Sea. This may have appeared outdated to some observers, but was a sensible precaution which makes it more difficult to identify individual ships.

All the same, clues in the satellite image suggest that the Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate with the new scheme is Admiral Essen. This ship has a lighter colored dome over its Pozitiv-M radar. Her sister ship also based in Sevastopol, Admiral Makarov‘s radome is the same gray as the rest of the ship.

Whether the new camouflaged will be effective is open to debate. From a Russian Navy perspective, it may be seen as better than nothing. Possibly other old-fashioned camouflage schemes, such as dazzle, will see a comeback for as long as visual targeting is used by the drones. What is clear however is that, despite no losses so far, the Russian Navy still takes the maritime drone threat seriously.

Source: navalnews.com