ST. PETERSBURG, March 12. /TASS/. The Severnaya Shipyard in St. Petersburg in northwestern Russia (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation) will lay down an additional series of Project 22350 frigates for the Russian Navy, Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko announced on Thursday.

"I want to assure you, the staff, that the book of orders formed and signed with enterprises of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, in particular, with the Severnaya Shipyard, will enable it to utilize its capacities at least in the next ten years. In the near future, we also expect and will lay the keels of additional frigates," the deputy defense minister said after the ceremony of floating out the Project 20380 corvette Retivy at the Shipyard.

The defense official declined to specify the number of ships planned for keel-laying but explained that this related to Project 22350 frigates.

Project 22350 frigates are expected to become the Russian Navy’s most advanced warships in their class. These frigates displace 4,500 tonnes and can develop a speed of 29 knots. They are armed with Oniks and Kalibr missiles and Poliment-Redut air defense missile systems.

The Project 22350 lead frigate Admiral Gorshkov entered service with the Russian Navy in July 2018. The Project’s first serial-produced frigate Admiral Kasatonov was put afloat in 2014 and its trials are currently at their final stage. The Project 22350 frigate Admiral Golovko was laid down on February 1, 2012. Four more frigates of this Project are at various stages of their construction at the Severnaya Shipyard.