Russian Navy delays commissioning of two new vessels

The delivery of the Russian, Project 22350, frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the minesweeper Alexander Obukhov is postponed because the new weapons systems necessitate further testing, Russian media say.

Admiral Gorshkov, the flagship of the frigate project, will be commissioned at the end of the next year, RIA Novosti reported a Russian Navy source saying.

The ship was initially scheduled to join the Navy in 2013 but a number of technical issues caused a delay in the plans.

The source also said that the minesweeper Alexander Obukhov would not be commissioned until May 2016.

The commissioning of both ships is postponed due to a greater amount of “high precision” weapons systems testing the Navy is intending to undertake.

Media reports say the Russian Navy intends to build up to 30 Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates which are designed by the Severnoye Design Bureau.

The 130 meter vessel has a 4.500 tonne displacement and a cruising range in excess of 4.000 nautical miles. The ships will be equipped with anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles, anti-air weapons, a 130mm universal gun-mount and an anti-submarine helicopter.

The 890-tonne minesweeper Alexander Obukhov, the other vessel to be delayed, was launched June 27 2014, at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard.

With a hull made from fiberglass, the 61-meter ship will have a complement of 44 and use ROVs for mine clearance duties.

Naval Today Staff