SEVASTOPOL, December 11. /TASS/. The Black Sea Fleet frigate Admiral Essen fired the Kalibr cruise missile system during drills in the Black Sea, the Fleet’s press office reported on Wednesday.

"In accordance with the combat training plan, the Black Sea Fleet frigate Admiral Essen fired the Kalibr missile system against a coastal target from a combat training naval range in the Black Sea. The crew of the frigate Admiral Essen delivered a missile strike against the coastal target while accomplishing the assigned mission," the press office said in a statement.

The missile successfully hit the target on the coastal training range after flying over 140 nautical miles (over 250 km) along a complex flight path. Unmanned aerial vehicles providing visual observation made it possible to register that the missile accurately hit the target, the statement says.

The Black Sea area where the frigate conducted its missile launch was closed for shipping for the purpose of security. A total of ten warships and support vessels, and also aircraft and helicopters of the Black Sea Fleet’s naval aviation and air defense force helped close the area, the press office said.

The missile firing in the Black Sea is the second live-fire exercise with the Kalibr precision missile system performed by the crews of the Black Sea Fleet’s new frigates in accordance with planned combat training.

In August 2018, the crew of the frigate Admiral Grigorovich conducted the first live-fire exercise with the Kalibr precision missile system, during which it successfully hit a naval target simulating a notional enemy’s warship.

The Admiral Essen represents a new series of Project 11356R/M frigates (the Project 11357 designation is also used). These frigates are designed to destroy enemy surface ships and vessels, submarines and ground installations, carry out patrols and defend sea lanes.

The frigates of this Project are armed with eight launchers of Kalibr-NK cruise missiles that are capable of striking surface, coastal and underwater targets at a distance of up to 2,600 km.

The warships of this Project are also armed with Shtil-1, Palash and AK-630M air defense missile and artillery systems, A-190 100mm universal artillery guns, torpedo tubes and RBU-6000 rocket launchers. The frigates also have a take-off and landing strip and a hangar for an anti-submarine warfare helicopter (Ka-27 or Ka-31).