Article Posted on : - Mar 18, 2014

A file photo.

KALININGRAD (BNS): Russia's Yantar shipyard has floated out Admiral Grigorovich -- the lead ship of Project 11356 class guided missile frigates, for the Navy's Black Sea Fleet.

The stealth warship was launched at Yantar's Kaliningrad facility on March 14 in the presence of high ranking officials from the Defence Ministry, Russian Navy and United Shipbuilding Corporation.

Admiral Grigorovich, the first of six Project 11356 series of guided missile frigates, was laid down in December 2010.

It is slated to join Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet this year.

Four more stealth warships of the same class -- Admiral Essen, Admiral Makarov, Admiral Butakov and Admiral Istomin -- are in various stages of construction at Yantar.

All six frigates will be delivered to the Black Sea Fleet between 2014 and 2017 under two contracts with the Defence Ministry, Ria Novosti said.

The new class of frigates is designed to counter surface ships, submarines and airborne targets. Each frigate is designed to arm a 100-mm gun, a medium-range air defence system, supersonic anti-ship cruise missile systems, two Kashtan point defence systems, two twin 533-mm torpedo launchers, and an anti-submarine warfare helicopter.

The Yantar shipyard has built and delivered three new guided missile frigates under Project 1135.6 to the Indian Navy between 2012 and 2013.

All three warships of the series -- INS Teg, INS Tarkash and INS Trikand -- are armed with BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile system as the prime strike weapon.