Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet To Get 6 Zircon Hypersonic Cruise Missile Carriers By 2028

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published December 15, 2020 | 03:26 PM

The Russian Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday it had signed a contract with the Amur shipyard to equip the navy's Pacific Fleet with six Steregushchiy-class corvettes (projects 20380 and 20385) in the period from 2024-2028

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th December, 2020) The Russian Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday it had signed a contract with the Amur shipyard to equip the navy's Pacific Fleet with six Steregushchiy-class corvettes (projects 20380 and 20385) in the period from 2024-2028.

"In implementation of the state defense order GOZ-2021, the Russian Ministry of Defense has signed a contract with the Amur Shipbuilding Plant open joint-stock company for a supply of a serial batch of Projects 20380 and 20385 corvettes," the ministry said in a press release.

The batch will include two Project 20380 corvettes and four Project 20385 ones, to be shipped to the Pacific Fleet in the period from 2024-2028, according to the press release. The ministry expects these vessels to enhance the fleet's efficiency in such tasks as detection and destruction of hostile submarines and warships, as well as protection of naval bases, communications and the coastline.

"The corvettes under construction are unmatched at the global level across a broad range of technical specifications and armaments while also having a large modernization potential. Those are modern vessels equipped with cutting-edge radar system MFRLK, perspective anti-aircraft missile system Redut, modern anti-ship missile system Uran, anti-submarine system Paket-NK and all-purpose launchers capable of carrying perspective missiles Zirkon," the press release read.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the intention to contract six corvettes with the Amur shipyard in August, but did not specify of what class. Until now, Amur only built Project 20380 corvettes, the predecessor of Projects 20385 and 20386 which were given the ability to use Kalibr cruise missiles.

The Russian navy currently has six Project 20380 corvettes, including two in the Pacific Fleet.