The Russian Defence Ministry will select a new combat ship for the Russian Navy next month to replace the Project 20380 Class corvette, according to sources in the shipbuilding industry.

Project 20380 is deployed to destroy enemy surface ships, submarines and aircraft, and to provide naval gunfire support for beach landings, but it does not meet modern requirements.

Five design centres would take part in the competition to produce a mobile, fast-moving ship with a helicopter hangar and a distinct modular layout for weapons, the Kommersant paper said.

The Russian Navy requires around 50 Project 20380 vessels to protect its coastal waters, and oil and gas transportation routes, especially in the Black and Baltic seas, according to defpro.com.