MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/. The Project 20385 corvette Gremyashchiy has sailed to the Gulf of Finland for shipbuilders’ trials, Russian Navy Spokesman Captain 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said on Monday.

"The corvette has started checking the speed of sailing in various modes, its controllability and maneuverability, and also other characteristics of the life support system, communications and radio-technical equipment in the designated areas of the Gulf of Finland as part of fulfilling the program of the first stage of shipbuilders’ sea trials," the statement says.

Before its departure for the trials, the crew and the delivery team of the Severnaya Shipyard where the corvette was built received all the required instructions. All the necessary controlling drills were held aboard the warship, including the exercise for organizing communications and practicing the procedure of delivering reports on components of the trials to the Navy’s Main Headquarters and the headquarters of the Leningrad naval base.

The Gremyashchiy is the first Project 20385 corvette created after modernizing the baseline Project 20380 corvettes. The Severnaya Shipyard is also building the second warship of this project, the corvette Provorny.

This Project has been developed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau. The multi-purpose corvettes of this type are designated to detect and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships, provide for troop landing, and also cope with numerous tasks in the green-water zone. The Project envisages a hangar for a Ka-27 helicopter.

Project 20385 corvettes displace 2,200 tonnes, have an operating range of 3,500 miles and their sea endurance is 15 days. They are armed with Kalibr-NK universal missile systems, Redut anti-aircraft missile complexes and Paket anti-submarine warfare technology.