Russia to start trials of frigates built for India

Two stealth guided-missile frigates of the class Project 11356M, built in Russia’s Kaliningrad for the Indian Navy with delivery scheduled for 2023-2024, are now ready for mooring trials, Alexey Rakhmanov, CEO of United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), said in the interview with RIA Novosti. 

“At present, the construction of the ships and the trials are proceeding according to refined schedules. There is a minor delay for certain positions, which is less than six months. Trial runs of diesel generators have been carried out for the first of the two frigates, and preparations for mooring trials are underway,” Rakhmanov said.

The mooring trial is a standard practice in shipbuilding preceding a vessel’s sea trial and is carried out while it’s moored in port and the equipment and machinery on board are being tested. 

Russia and India signed a contract for the construction of four Project-11356M frigates for the Indian Navy in 2018. According to the agreement, two frigates are being built in Russia at the Yantar Shipyard and the remaining two in India, at the government-owned Goa Shipyard Ltd.

Russian media earlier noted that three of the four Indian frigates are being built using the hulls previously constructed for the Admiral Grigorovich-class Project 11356 R, initially planned for the Russian Navy. the construction of these frigates was delayed due to issues with supply of propulsion systems, manufactured in Ukraine, and then the project was suspended. One of the hulls has been sent to India, while the fourth frigate will be built from scratch at the Goa shipyard. 

According to Rakhmanov, Russia has supplied equipment, materials and design documentation for the construction of the other two Project 11356M frigates in Goa, and the preparatory work for the construction is going according to the schedule. India-made frigates are to be delivered to its navy in June and December 2026. The main armament of the frigates will be the Russian-Indian supersonic BrahMos anti-ship cruise missiles. 

Ships of Project 11356, developed by the Northern Design Bureau, are designed for combat at sea both independently and as an escort within a naval force. Their combat capabilities allow them to search for and destroy enemy submarines, defend warships against ships, aircraft and submarines, support ground forces’ combat action and to make amphibious landings.

Russia has showcased a wide range of vessels being built for both the Russian Navy and for those of other countries at the Army-2023 forum, which opened in Patriot Park near Moscow on Monday. India is among several guest countries demonstrating its weaponry and defense systems at the expo. On Monday, the India pavilion was visited by Russian defense minister Sergey Shoigu, Trade and Industry Minister Denis Manturov and Indian Ambassador to Russia Pavan Kapoor. 

Meanwhile, Russia has also confirmed the completion of the delivery of S-400 air-defense systems to India by the end of 2023, Dmitry Shugaev, head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) of Russia, told Interfax on the sidelines of the Army-2023 expo.

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