SEVASTOPOL. Dec 12 (Interfax) - The Russian Navy is completing the renewal of its offshore ships and rearming units intended for remote maritime and oceanic zones, including with ships with large displacements that will be delivered in the near future, Navy Shipbuilding Directorate chief Rear Adm. Vladimir Tryapichnikov told journalists.
"[The military shipbuilding program] is being implemented in stages. At present, the next generation of near maritime zone ships is being built for the Navy, and ships for [operation in] remote maritime zones are being designed in parallel. Construction of surface remote-maritime-zone shipswith large displacements will begin very soon," Tryapichnikov said.
In addition, Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates will be delivered to the Navy over the next five years, as will large landing ships of the Project 11711 Ivan Gren type, he said, without specifying timeframes for other types of ships.
Near-maritime-zone ships carry high-precision weaponry, Tryapichnikov said. "Today we can state that by a number of parameters, including weapons systems, ours are superior to foreign-built ships. The small missile ships which are being built for the Russian Navy today have already proven their effectiveness while operating in the Mediterranean Sea, far away from bases," he said.
New ships for operation in remote maritime zones are being designed concurrently, and the existing models being upgraded, he said.
The plan is to form a group of oceanic ships that includes next-generation multipurpose vessels with increased offensive and defensive potentials, Tryapichnikov said.
The remote maritime group will consist of frigates with a wide range of capabilities to strengthen the Navy's oceanic and remote-maritime segment, he said.