ST. PETERSBURG, December 29. /TASS/. The Project 20385 lead corvette Gremyashchiy has been accepted for service in the Russian Navy.

The ceremony of raising the Russian Navy’s St. Andrew’s flag was held at the Severnaya Shipyard in St. Petersburg.

"Today is a remarkable event for the Navy. On the eve of the New Year, a new ship completely unique by its technical characteristics has been handed over. The corvette will soon be relocated to the Pacific Fleet to the place of its permanent operation," Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Nikolai Yevmenov said at the delivery ceremony.

Six more corvettes of this class will be built for the Pacific Fleet and will be eventually armed with Tsirkon hypersonic missiles, the Navy chief said.

The Gremyashchiy is the Project 20385 lead corvette laid down at the Severnaya Shipyard on February 1, 2012 and floated out in June 2017. The corvettes of this Project developed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau are designated to detect and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships, provide for troop landing and cope with numerous green-water tasks.

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 launchers and Paket anti-submarine warfare technology.

Compared to the ships of the previous Project 20380, the Gremyashchiy carries Kalibr-NK and/or Oniks cruise missiles. Project 20385 envisages a hangar for a Ka-27 helicopter.

The corvette was named after the Northern Fleet’s legendary destroyer Gremyashchiy that fought during the Soviet Union’s 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany. For its successful operations at sea during the war, the destroyer was awarded the Guards title while its commander, 1st Rank Captain Anton Gurin was bestowed with the Hero of the Soviet Union title.