KALININGRAD, October 29 (AVN) -- The Russian Baltic fleet has resumed performance tests of the Samum missile hovership, the ship commander, Captain Viktor Maximov, said on Friday.
Samum is the first ship of Project 1239 Sivuch, Maximov told the Military News Agency. It was built by the Zelenodolsk shipyard in the Tatarstan autonomous republic yet in 1992, and was later sent to Sevastopol where its construction was to be completed. However the works were soon halted due to puoor financing, and in 1994, Samum was transported back to Zelenodolsk.
After that, nucerous attempts were made to complete its construction and hold performance tests in St. Petersburg and the Baltiysk port in the Kaliningrad region. By late 1996, the ship was ready for tests, but they only began this year, after the Defence Ministry allocated 15 million roubles (about 577,000 U.S. dollars) for their organisation.
Samum covered a distance of over 100 miles in the past two days, Maximov said, adding that sailors are currently testing the ship's engine under various power conditions. Samum has proven that it can hit the speed of up to 55 knots (over 100 km per hour), the captain said.