Construction on the Russian Navy’s fourth Krivak IV-class (Project 11356) frigate, Admiral Butakov, is set to start on 18 April with a keel laying ceremony, JSC Yantar shipyard has announced.
The Russian Defence Ministry signed a contract with Yantar shipyard to develop and deliver a total of six Project 11356 frigates for the navy between 2014 and 2016.
Capable of conducting anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare missions on the high seas, the Project 11356 frigates can support anti-aircraft operations both independently and as an escort ship.
The 4,000t frigate will be armed with a 100mm gun, a Shtil surface-to-air missile system, two Kashtan air-defence gun/missile systems, two twin 533mm torpedo launchers, Club-N supersonic anti-ship missiles, in addition to accommodating an anti-submarine warfare helicopter.
The ships will also be able to support ocean and sea operations, search and destroy of enemy submarines as well as provide fire support for coastal and landing assault operations.
Designed as a successor to the Riga-class frigate, the Krivak IV-class warships are 124.8m-long, with a beam of 15.2m and are expected to be deployed with the Russian Black Sea Fleet based in the Crimean peninsula.
Admiral Grigorovich, the first ship of the class, was laid down in December 2010 and is expected to join the Russian Navy in 2014, while keel laying for the second ship, Admiral Essen, took place in July 2011.
Construction on Admiral Makarov, the third ship of the Krivak IV-class frigate, started in February 2012.
The first three Krivak IV class frigates are currently under various stages of construction at the shipyard.
