Second Project 11711 LST Petr Morgunov to be Launched in May.

The Petr Morgunov big landing ship of project 11711 built by the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad is to be floated in May 2018, shipyard spokesman Sergey Mikhailov told TASS. "The Petr Morgunov has to be floated in the second half of May," he said adding the warship is to be handed over to the Navy this year as scheduled.

The Petr Morgunov of project 11711 was laid by Yantar on June 11, 2015 and is currently on the slipway in a pre-launch state. Photo via topwar.ru

The shipyard completed the technological construction stage in 2017 and large-scale work is in store this year, including the replacement of the faulty main engine. Mikhailov explained "a complicated operation is necessary to eliminate the problem with warship control which was exposed during the trials of the lead Ivan Gren big landing ship."

The spokesman quoted Chief Constructor Sergey Panfilov as saying "the work is to be completed in late April in order to float the warship in the second half of May."

The Petr Morgunov of project 11711 was laid by Yantar on June 11, 2015 and is currently on the slipway in a pre-launch state.

Project 11711 big landing ships are to deliver seaborne assault to coastal territory occupied by the adversary and transport combat hardware and equipment. In peacetime. In peacetime they participate in humanitarian operations. The ro-ro ship provides direct drive for armor from the bow to the stern ramp along the tank desk. It has a two-island superstructure and a hangar in the stern superstructure. The hangar accommodates one helicopter, however two craft are possible due to a shifting device which extends the length of the hangar. The hull and superstructure are made of steel. The ship can carry 13 tanks or 36 armored personnel carriers. The marines number 300-380. Instead of a landing force the ship can carry 1500 tons of cargoes. It can also carry 1-2 Ka-29 helicopters. The use of seaborne Ka-52K is also possible. Artillery arms include one 30mm MZAK AK-630M-2 Duet and two 30mm MZAK AK 630M. The displacement is 5000 tons, the length is 120 meters, the width is 16.5 meters. The speed is 18 knots and navigation duration is 30 days. The crew is 100 men.

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