MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. The developers of Project 22800 ‘Karakurt’ missile corvettes expect a whole group of countries, including Iran, to display their interest in the warship’s export version, CEO of the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau Alexander Shlyakhtenko told TASS on Monday.

"In experts’ estimates, the Project 22800 ships can expect strong demand from a considerable part of our traditional partners in the field of military and technical construction. These are countries of the Asia-Pacific region: Vietnam, China, India, and also Indonesia, Algeria, Iran and others," he said.

The Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau is carrying out work jointly with Russia’s state arms seller Rosoboronexport and domestic shipyards for promoting the warship’s export version, the Project 22800E ‘Karakurt-E’, to foreign markets, he said.

As was reported earlier, one of the contractors building this type of warships, the Leningrad Shipyard ‘Pella’, will feature three Karakurt-E export versions at the Army-2018 international military and technical forum. One version is furnished with the Pantsyr-ME air defense missile system while the second variant is armed with the Kashtan-M surface-to-air missile/artillery complex and the third option is equipped with the Palma seaborne automated short-range air defense artillery guns.

Project 22800 ‘Karakurt’ warships displace about 800 tonnes and can develop a speed of over 30 knots. Their seaworthiness has been improved through the hull’s design and allows them to operate on the high seas. They are equipped, in particular, with Kalibr cruise missiles.