MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/. The Project 22350 latest missile frigate Admiral Golovko currently undergoing the third round of tests will enter service with the Northern Fleet this year, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement released after a meeting chaired by Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov on Tuesday.

A source close to the domestic defense industry earlier told TASS that the Project 22350 frigate Admiral Golovko was set for delivery to the Russian Navy in March this year.

"Under the plans, the frigate Admiral Golovko will enter service with the Northern Fleet this year while the corvette Merkury will replenish the Black Sea Fleet’s formation of surface ships," the statement reads.

The Severnaya Verf Shipyard’s management reported to the Navy chief that the Admiral Golovko was undergoing the third round of tests in the Baltic Sea, the ministry specified.

"The frigate was tested on how its artillery and air defense systems and their control, radio-technical equipment and communications operate. Also, the corvette Merkury is at the final stage of its tests at the Baltic Fleet’s practice ranges," it said.

The Shipyard’s delivery teams are carrying out maneuvering and speed tests with the crews of both warships and testing the operation of their assemblies, systems and armaments, the ministry said.

For his part, Russian Navy Chief Yevmenov told the meeting that it was important to have in place an effective system of providing maintenance for new frigates and corvettes. The 51st Central Design Technological Ship Repair Institute is responsible for developing repair and technical documentation on these ships, he pointed out.

A source close to the Russian Defense Ministry told TASS in October last year that the beginning of 2023 was the pessimistic timeframe of delivering the Merkury to the Navy.

New Russian warships

The Admiral Golovko is the Project 22350 third-built and second serial-produced frigate. The Project 22350 lead and first serial-built frigates Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov and Admiral of the Fleet Kasatonov are operating within a formation of the Northern Fleet’s missile ships. Frigates of this Project carry Kalibr-NK and/or Oniks cruise missile systems as their basic strike weapons and will eventually be armed with Tsirkon hypersonic missiles.

The Merkury is the Project 20380 fifth corvette built at the Severnaya Verf Shipyard (part of Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation). As its main anti-ship weapon, it carries the Uran system of two quadruple-container-type launchers with an ammunition load of eight Kh-35U missiles with a strike range of 260 km.