Russian Navy to Receive First Admiral Gorshkov-Class Frigate on November 22

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Russian Navy will receive the Admiral Gorshkov, the lead ship of its class and the first Project 22350 frigate, on November 22, the Russian Navy's former First Deputy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Igor Kasatonov said.

"The Admiral Gorshkov, the lead ship of the project 22350 frigate series, should join the Russian Navy on November 22 this year, an event which will be attended by top government officials. The Admiral Kasatonov will be transferred to the Navy in late 2017. It will pass all test stages and will join the Navy," Kasatonov said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

The admiral, who also served as the head of Russia's Black Sea Fleet between 1991 and 1992, added that the Admiral Golovko, the next ship of the series, would join the Navy after 2020.

In May, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the Russian Navy expected to receive six new Project 22350 frigates by 2025 with the Admiral Gorshkov currently undergoing sea trials. In March, the Defense Ministry said the Admiral Gorshkov was expected to join the Navy in December 2016. The warship first sailed into the northeastern region of the Atlantic Ocean in late September.

The Admiral Kasatonov, the second project 22350 vessel, was launched in late 2014, while two further frigates, the Admiral Golovko and the Admiral Isakov, are under construction at the Severnaya Verf Shipyard in Saint Petersburg.

The Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates have a displacement of 4,500 tons, a top speed of 29 knots, a range of 4,000 nautical miles at 14 knots, and can go for up to 15 days without resupplying.

The warship has a crew of 210 and a variety of weaponry, including a 130-mm A-192 gun, the Oniks 3M55 (SS-N-26) anti-ship missiles and the Poliment-Redut shipborne air defense system.