Russia Floats Out New Corvette*

St. Petersburg's Severnaya Verf shipyard floated out a new stealth corvette for the Russian Navy at an official ceremony on Wednesday.

The Stoyky is the fourth Project 20380 or Steregushchy class corvette designed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau. The ship is expected to join Russia’s Baltic Fleet in November 2013 after a series of sea trials.

The first Project 20380 corvette, the Steregushchy, was put into service with the Baltic Fleet in October 2008 and the second, the Soobrazitelny, joined the Russian Navy in October 2011.

The third ship of the same series, the Boyky, is undergoing sea trials to be commissioned in November 2012.

The Steregushchy class corvette is capable of engaging enemy surface ships, submarines and aircraft, and providing naval gunfire support for beach landings. Advanced stealth technology is used to reduce the ship's radar, acoustic, infrared, magnetic and visual signatures.

Russia plans to have up to 30 vessels of this class to ensure the protection of its coastal waters, as well as its oil and gas transportation routes, especially in the Black and the Baltic seas.

Each corvette has a displacement of 2,000 metric tons, maximum speed of 27 knots, and a crew of 100.

The ship's armament includes Kh-35 (SS-N-25 Switchblade) anti-ship cruise missiles, a 100-mm gun, a variety of air-defense and anti-submarine systems, and a Ka-27 Helix ASW helicopter.

* Notícia publicada a RIA Novosti. Com hem anat comentant en aquest bloc, la renovació de l'Armada russa és un fet en curs. En aquest cas les corbetes Steregushchy, són unes interessants mostra de polivalència, encara que estiguin pensades per operacions litorals.