Article Posted on : - Jul 13, 2013

A file photo.

KALININGRAD (BNS): Russia's Yantar shipyard has started construction of a new guided missile frigate for the Russian Navy under Project 11356.

The new frigate, to be named Admiral Butakov, is the fourth of six such warships the shipyard is building for Russia.

The construction of the ship was launched on Friday in the presence of the Deputy Commander of the Baltic Fleet, Rear Admiral Sergei Popov, Ria Novosti said citing a local news portal report.

The lead ship of the series, Admiral Grigorovich, was laid down in December 2010, followed by the second ship, Admiral Essen, in July 2011 and the third, Admiral Makarov, in February 2012.

Admiral Grigorovich is slated to join the Navy's Black Sea Fleet in 2014.

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

The new ships are expected be delivered to the Russian Navy between 2014 and 2016 for deployment in the Black Sea Fleet.

The Yantar shipyard was contracted in 2007 to build three similar guided missile frigates for the Indian Navy under Project 11356.

All three warships of the series -- Teg, Tarkash and Trikand -- armed with BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile system as the prime strike weapon, have been commissioned into the Indian Navy.