"We inspected the professionalism of the vessel’s crew, the logistical readiness for inter-fleet transition. The ship is ready to perform the task of transitioning to a permanent base in the Black Sea Fleet," Deputy Navy Commander Vice Adm. Alexander Fedotenkov said.
In service since March 10, the Admiral Grigorovich is the first of six planned Project 11356 frigates, three of which are due to be delivered to the Defense Ministry by 2017.
The Project 11356 frigates, displacing 3,850 tons and with a complement of 180, are designed for anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare as well as for air defense missions, operating both independently or as part of convoys and naval task forces.
The frigates are armed with an eight-cell launcher for the Kalibr and Klub (3M54E) anti-ship and surface-to-surface missiles, the Kashtan gun/missile close-in air defense systems, the Shtil vertical-launch air defense systems, an anti-submarine rocket system and a Ka-28 or Ka-31 helicopter, according to defense experts.
