Russian President Vladimir Putin has inaugurated three new naval vessels, including the multi-purpose missile frigate ‘Admiral Golovko’. The ceremony was held on Monday at the Northern Shipyard in St. Petersburg.
The president attended the ceremonial raising of the naval flag on the ‘Admiral Golovko’ in person, while the two other vessels, the small missile ship ‘Naro-Fominsk’ and the minesweeper ‘Lev Chernavin,’ were inaugurated by Putin via video link.
Shipbuilding is booming in Russia as the country seeks to further bolster its naval capabilities, the president said during the event.
“At the moment, Russian shipyards have five frigates, eight corvettes, 13 small missile ships, and over 50 other ships of various classes under construction at various phases of completion. I will mention only the main orders,” Putin stated.
“The commissioning of the latest ships serves as further evidence that our shipbuilding industry is on the rise and is progressing to smooth serial production of warships of various classes. This is a crucial, fundamental step in the revival and development of Russian shipbuilding,” he added.
The ‘Admiral Golovko’ became the third vessel among the ‘Admiral Gorshkov’-class multi-role frigates and the first truly serial-produced ship of the family, Putin noted. “Such ships form the backbone of the fleet’s attack groups in remote sea and ocean zones. It was built with cutting-edge technology and equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles that have proved their high efficiency in combat conditions,” the president said.
The frigate is reportedly expected to become the first carrier of the new Zircon hypersonic missiles, which were introduced early this year, as its standard-issued munition. The vessel, like its two sister ships, is set to join the ranks of Russia’s Northern Fleet.
Earlier this month, Putin inaugurated two new fourth generation nuclear-propelled submarines, which were built in the northern shipyard city of Severodvinsk. The vessels, ‘Emperor Alexander III’ and ‘Krasnoyarsk,’ are destined to join the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet.
The former vessel became the seventh submarine in Russia’s strategic Borei-class series, and is equipped with 16 solid-fueled 8,000km (4971 miles) range Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as six massive 533-mm torpedo tubes as its ‘secondary’ armament. The latter submarine belongs to the multi-role Yasen-M family and carries a wide range of munitions including torpedoes, naval mines, as well as cruise Kalibr, anti-ship Oniks and, potentially, Zircon missiles.