MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/. Project 20386 corvettes under construction at the Severnaya Shipyard in northwestern Russia will get a principally new superstructure made of polymer composite materials, a source in the domestic shipbuilding industry told TASS on Wednesday.

"A new design of the superstructure made of polymer composite materials has been developed for Project 20386 ships jointly with the Krylov State Scientific Center. It features a principally new unit of connecting the superstructure with the metallic hull, which is 15% lighter than the similar joint of the superstructure for Project 20380 ships," the source said.

The design and technological solutions have been tested on the test stands of the Krylov State Scientific Center. They have made it possible to reduce the mass and dimensional characteristics of the superstructure and the labor intensity of its production and simplify the assembly process, the source added.

The Project 20386 lead ship Merkury was laid down at the Severnaya Shipyard (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation) under the initial name of Derzky in October 2016. The warship is expected to be delivered to the Russian Navy in 2022.

The Merkury differs from Project 20380 and Project 20385 ships by its armament and modular design. By now, the shipbuilders have built six Project 20380 ships and delivered them to the Navy. Four Project 20380 and two Project 20385 ships are at various stages of their construction and trials.

The Project 20386 corvettes carry Kalibr cruise missiles.