Russia plans to manufacture 12 upgraded Project 22350M frigates.

Russia plans to manufacture 12 upgraded Project 22350M frigates capable of carrying each up to 48 Kalibr, Oniks and Tsirkon cruise missiles, a source in the shipbuilding industry told TASS.

Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate, also known as Project 22350 (Picture source: mil.ru)

"The lead vessel in this series is planned to be commissioned to the Navy in 2027," the source said.

According to the source, "a project plan for a vessel with a displacement of 7,000 tons and a capability of carrying up to 48 Kalibr, Oniks and Tsirkon cruise missiles will be finalized by the yearend."

"In all, 12 frigates of this class are planned to be manufactured, with 11 out of them to be commissioned to the customer within the frames of the new state arms procurement program," the source added.

TASS does not yet have an official confirmation of this information.

The Russian Navy currently has in its service the lead warship of the Project 22350, the Admiral Gorshkov, while the Admiral Kasatonov undergoes sea trials and two more frigates of this series are under construction.

The frigate Fleet Admiral Kasatonov is the second (the first serial-produced) Project 22350 warship built at the Severnaya Verf Shipyard (part of Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation). The cutting-edge frigate was laid down on November 26, 2009 and floated out on December 12, 2014. The frigate is set to be delivered to the Russian Navy this year.

The lead warship of this series, the Admiral Gorshkov, was delivered to the Navy in the summer of 2018 and the construction of two more frigates (the Admiral Golovko and the Admiral Isakov) continues at the slipways of the Severnaya Verf Shipyard in St. Petersburg.

Project 22350 frigates are expected to become the Russian Navy’s most advanced warships in their class. These frigates displace 4,500 tonnes and can develop a speed of 29 knots. They are armed with Oniks and Kalibr missiles and the Poliment-Redut air defense missile systems.

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