MOSCOW, June 5. /TASS/. The Project 22160 patrol boat Dmitry Rogachev will become operational in the Russian Navy in June this year, Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov said at the Navy’s enlarged board meeting on Wednesday.

"In June, a ceremony will be held to hoist the flag and accept the Project 22160 patrol vessel Dmitry Rogachev for service in the Navy," the Defense Ministry’s newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda quoted the Navy chief as saying.

Also, the Project 21631 missile corvette Ingushetia is due to be put afloat in June, the Navy chief added.

Both ships were built at the Zelenodolsk Shipyard in Tatarstan in the Volga area.

Project 22160 and Project 21631 ships

The Dmitry Rogachev is the Project 22160 first serial-produced ship. The project was developed by the Severnoye Design Bureau. The patrol vessel Dmitry Rogachev was earlier expected to be accepted for service in the Russian Navy in early 2019.

Project 22160 ships are primarily designated to defend and protect the maritime economic zone. The patrol ships also capable of accomplishing escort and anti-piracy missions and performing search and rescue operations.

The patrol vessels of this Project have their sea endurance of 60 days. They can develop a speed of 30 knots and operate within a range of 6,000 nautical miles. The Project 22160 lead vessel Vasily Bykov was laid down at the end of February 2014. The Project’s second-built and first serial-produced vessel Dmitry Rogachev had its keel laid in the summer of 2014. The Zelenodolsk Shipyard plans to deliver six Project 22160 ships to the Russian Navy by 2020.

Project 21631 Buyan-M-class small missile ships feature increased water displacement and are equipped with the latest Kalibr-NK standardized precision missile system designated to strike naval and coastal targets.

As was reported earlier, Project 21621 ships that will number 12 vessels of this series are expected to be upgraded and armed with new radio-technical equipment and air defense capabilities.