Russia offers to build 12 Alexandrit-E- class minesweepers ships in India.

Russia has offered India to build a series of composite Alexandrit-E-class minesweepers ships at an Indian shipyard with the subsequent transfer of technology, Russia’s state arms seller Rosoboronexport told TASS on Friday, November 8, 2019.

Aleksandrit class minesweepers , Russian designation Project 12700. (Picture source Twitter Naval War College)

TASS Russian press agency website reported that Russia had made its offer at a session of the Russian-Indian inter-governmental commission for military cooperation on November 6. Twelve new-generation minesweepers can be built to replace the Indian Navy’s Pondicherry-class ships. The Alexandrit-E minesweepers are intended to be constructed at a shipyard of India’s Goa Shipyard Limited.

The Aleksandrit class, Russian designation Project 12700 Alexandrit (chrysoberyl), is the newest class of Russian minesweepers designed by Almaz and being built by the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard for the Russian Navy. The first ship was laid down on 22 September 2011 and was launched in June 2014. A total of 40 ships are planned to be build for Russian Navy.

The minesweepers can employ various sweeps, as well as remotely controlled and autonomous underwater drones. The minesweepers of this Project displace about 800 tonnes, are 62 meters long, have a crew of 44 men and an operating range of 1,500 miles.

The main feature of Aleksandrit class project 12700 is a monolithic fibreglass hull shaped by vacuum infusion, a modern construction method which results in a lighter hull with a longer service life. The ships of the class are designed to use various flails, as well as tele-guided and autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles and unmanned surface vehicles to disable or destroy mines at safe distances.