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The Boykiy, the project 20380 corvette built by Severnaya Verf shipyard for the Baltic Fleet, has completed the first stage of plant trials in the Baltic Sea, Russian Interfax-AVN military news agency reported on 22 November quoting Baltic Fleet spokesman Capt 2nd Rank Vladimir Matveyev.

He said that the operation of the ship's engine, steering and "support" mechanisms, means of communication and navigation and the anchor was tested. Speed, manoeuvring and vibration tests were also carried out.

"In the near future," the ship will have a 100-mm artillery unit installed on it. The ship will then sail to Baltiysk for a "second stage of trials". They are expected to be carried out in December and will be followed by "state trials".

Capt 2nd Rank Sergey Lipskiy is the ship's captain.

The Steregushchiy is the lead ship of the series. The Baltic Fleet took it into service in 2007. The second corvette, the Soobrazitelnyy, was commissioned in October 2011, said the report.

The Admiral Gorshkov

The Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov, the lead project 22350 frigate, is expected to be handed over to the Navy for trials in spring 2013, Interfax-AVN said quoting an unnamed source in the Navy HQ. The ship is being built by Severnaya Verf, St Petersburg.

"Mooring trials will start in May. In November, the frigate should sail for plant trials. Should they be successful, we will set about state trials. The Admiral Gorshkov is scheduled to be taken into service by the New Year holidays [2014]," he said.

"Exactly a year later", the Navy is to get a second project 22350 frigate, the Admiral Kasatonov, which was to be commissioned by the end of 2012, said the source.

He said that "new technology and designs" account for 30 per cent of the Admiral Gorshkov's hull. The Admiral Gorshkov was to be commissioned by the end of 2011.

Project 22350 frigates displace 4,500 t, are 130 m long and 16 m wide, have a range of 4,000 miles. They are armed with pieces of artillery and missiles, can carry a helicopter. The ship was designed by the Northern Design Bureau. It costs 400m dollars. Severnaya Verf is to build and commission six project 22350 frigates by 2020.

The Grad Sviyazhsk Gets Crew, Captain

A crew has been put together for the small missile ship Grad Sviyazhsk (project 21631, code Buyan-M), Interfax-AVN reported quoting Southern Military District spokesman Col Igor Gorbul.

Lt-Capt Aleksey Gordeyev, former commander of the small artillery ship Astrakhan, heads the crew, said he. The crew consists of professional servicemen who have had additional training on the missile ship Dagestan.

Gorbul said that the Grad Sviyazhsk is only the second surface ship armed with the Kalibr-NK precision-guided missile system.

He said that the small artillery ships that are being built for the Caspian Flotilla are "multi-purpose river-sea class" ships armed with "most modern" artillery, missile, anti-saboteur, air defence and radio-technical arms. They have reduced radar signatures. Their job is to protect the country's economic zone. The plan is to build five such ships.