Frigate Admiral Gorshkov practice anti-aircraft drills in Barents Sea

Russian Navy Frigate Admiral Gorshkov practice anti-aircraft drills in Barents Sea, Arctic Ocean. The crew of the ship three times successfully hit air targets at various altitudes and distances with anti-aircraft missiles. The frigate carrying out the planned tasks of the combat training course in the Barents Sea, successfully conducted a series of practical shooting at sea and air targets from the sea-based anti-aircraft missile system of the Polymer-redut vertical launch. The Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates, also known as Project 22350, are a class of frigate of the Russian Navy. They were designed by the Severnoye Design Bureau, Saint Petersburg, the lead ship being named after Sergey Gorshkov. Project 22350 is the successor of the Krivak class. Unlike their Soviet-era predecessors the new ships are designed to perform multiple roles. The ships are to be able to execute long-range strikes, conduct anti-submarine warfare and to carry out escort missions.

The Russian Navy has set a requirement for 20-30 such ships. The design of the ship, developed by Severnoye PKB (Northern Design Bureau) FSUE in St. Petersburg, was approved by Naval Command in July 2003. The plan is to fully replace the older Project 956 Sovremenny class destroyers and Project 1135 Burevestnik class frigates in four Russian fleets. The lead ship, Admiral Gorshkov or its full name – Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov, was laid down on 1 February 2006 in Severnaya Verf Shipyard at St. Petersburg. The lead ship completion date was announced first as 2009, but later as 2010, and then as 2011. Latest report states that the frigate will join the Russian Navy in November 2013.

The first two ships of the class have gas turbines from Zorya-Mashproekt in Ukraine. Following the 2014 Crimean crisis, the Ukrainians refused to supply Russia with military technology and so NPO Saturn has been commissioned to design new engines. USC forecast these new engines will be available in 2017-18, allowing ships to be commissioned from 2020. However, after the intervention by the Russian government the engines will be constructed in 2016. According to the president of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) the Admiral Gorshkov class will be the first Russian ship that will receive Russian made gas turbine engines manufactured by NPO Saturn. The first frigate in the class, the Admiral Gorshkov was commissioned on July 28, 2018.