Russia denies fleet boost over US Poland missile plan

Space War ^ | 1/21/2010 | AFP via Space War

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Russia on Thursday said it had no plans to boost the arsenal of its Baltic Fleet in response to Poland's announcement that the United States will deploy Patriot-type missiles close to Russian borders. "No changes are planned in the combat components of the Baltic Fleet in connection with the deployment of US Patriot missiles close to the border with Russia," the defence ministry said in a statement carried by news agencies.

Earlier, the RIA Novosti news agency had quoted a high-ranking official in the Baltic Fleet as saying Russia would be boosting the weaponry of the fleet's ships, submarines and aircraft in response to the Polish announcement.

"The underwater, surface and air components of the fleet will be strengthened," the source told the news agency.

He said that ships would be equipped with highly accurate, longer-range missiles while the defences of submarines would also be boosted. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy in the reports.

The defence ministry statement said that any moves to rearm and modernize Russia's navy -- including the Baltic Fleet -- would take place within the framework of an already announced military reform drive.

Poland's Defence Minister Bogdan Klich said Wednesday the Patriot-type surface-to-air missiles would be deployed in northern Poland some 60 kilometres (35 miles) from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

He insisted the choice of the site close to Kaliningrad had "no political or strategic meaning -- its good infrastructure is the only reason." The Patriot missiles could arrive as soon as late March or early April, Klich said.

President Barack Obama in September scrapped a plan agreed in 2008 to install a controversial anti-missile shield system in Poland and the Czech Republic that had enraged Russia.

[Primorsky]

This news already was disclaimed by Russian side. Russian Russian Baltic Fleet outnumbered by NATO. Also it never will be as large and poweful as oceanic Northern Fleet. Baltic region - too much small area to operate navy.
Russian Strategic Missile Forces and boomer subs fleet are enough to hold back any possible threat from western direction.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

As of 2008 the Baltic Fleet included about 75 combat ships of various types:
Operational forces include:
Submarines
1 St. Petersburg /Lada class submarine (not yet commissioned)
2 Kilo class submarines
Destroyers / Frigates:
2 Sovremennyy class destroyers
2 Neustrashimy class frigates (second just entered service)
2 Krivak class frigates Corvettes

1 Steregushchiy class corvette
5 Nanuchka class corvettes
8 Parchim class corvettes Amphibious ships

4 Ropucha class landing ship Missile / Patrol boats

7 Tarantul class corvettes
4 Pauk class corvette Minesweepers
5 Sonya class minesweeper
1 Natya class minesweeper
6 Lida class minesweeper
Naval Aviation
The fleet's aviation arm currently comprises:
689th Independent Fighter Aviation Regiment - Kaliningrad Chkalovsk - operating Su-27;
4th Independent Naval Assault Aviation Regiment - Chernyakhovsk Air Base - operating Su-24M/MR;
125th Independent Helicopter Squadron - HQ at Chkalovsk - operating Mi-8, Mi-24 (this was the former 288th Independent Helicopter Regt of the 11th Guards Army and used to be at Nivenskoye);
396th Independent Shipborne Anti-Submarine Helicopter Squadron - Donskoye Air Base - Ka-27/PS, Ka-29;
398th Independent Air Transport Squadron - HQ at Khrabrovo - An-2, An-12, An-24, An-26, Be-12, Mi-8.
The fleet's aviation units were equipped with a total of 23 Su-27, 26 Su-24, 14 An-12/24/26, 2 An-12 Cub (MR/EW), 11 Mi-24 Hind, 19 Ka-28 Helix, 8 Ka-29 Helix assault helicopters, and 17 Mi-8 Hip transport helicopters in 2007, according to the IISS.
Coastal Forces of the Baltic Fleet

In the late 1990s the 336th Independent Guards Naval Infantry Brigade and the remnant of the 11th Guards Army of the Baltic Military District were combined and the new organization named the Ground and Coastal Forces of the Baltic Fleet. The 11th Guards Army remnant included the 7th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade and 18th Guards Motor Rifle Division, plus several Bases for Storage of Weapons and Equipment, holding enough vehicles and weaponry for a division but only having a few hundred men assigned to maintain the equipment and guard the bases.

Thant sounds like a lot of firepower to me