MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. Frigates similar to the Admiral Gorshkov warship will become the mainstay of the Russian Navy in the imminent future, Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu said on Friday.
"Such multi-purpose frigates equipped with long-range precision weapons should become the Navy’s main combat ships in the near future," the defense minister told the ministry’s board meeting.
Their commissioning for service will help ensure the smooth renewal of the fleets’ surface forces and raise their combat potential by 30%, the defense minister said.
The frigate Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov is the Project 22350 lead warship. The frigate has been designed by the Severnoye Design Bureau.
The Project 22350 frigate Admiral Gorshkov was laid down in early 2006 and put afloat in the autumn of 2010. The warship started undergoing trials in November 2014. The final stage of the frigate’s state trials started on March 20, 2017.
Project 22350 warships displace 4,500 tonnes and can develop a speed of 29 knots. They are specifically armed with Oniks and Kalibr cruise missiles and Poliment-Redut antiaircraft missile systems.
Overall, the Russian Navy is expected to receive six frigates of this type by 2025.