NEW DELHI. Feb 22 (Interfax-AVN) - The Northern Projecting and Design Bureau based in St. Petersburg is exhibiting new developments in the sphere of military shipbuilding, including destroyers, frigates, corvettes, guard-ships, patrol and fire- fighting boats, at the ongoing Defexpo India 2002 arms show in New Delhi.
"The Northern bureau and the Almaz shipbuilding company have arms trader]," the bureau's deputy head in charge of foreign economic activity Valery Prostyakov told Interfax-Military News Agency on Friday.
Participants in the show pay a lot of attention to the frigates and corvettes designed by the bureau, Prostyakov said. It happens because the St. Petersburg-based Baltiysky Zavod shipyard is building three frigates for the Indian Navy.
"Besides, it is known in India that the Northern bureau provides an entire complex of services to its partners, starting from projecting to construction and delivery of vessels to the customers," Prostyakov said.
The bureau is exhibiting a new project of a frigate of the basis of the Krivak-3 class guard ship. Seven vessels of this project have been built for the Russian Navy. They are distinguished for advanced combat specifications, great navigability and a low noise level.
The export-oriented frigate displacing about 4,000t is armed with a strike missile system, artillery and air defense assets, anti-submarine systems, etc. It can have a hangar for a Kamov helicopter.
Specialists say that the frigate is capable of accomplishing efficiently a broad range of combat missions in action against surface ships and submarines of the enemy in both sea and oceanic zones. Besides, the vessel can rebuff an aerial attack being a part of a unit or on its own.
"Construction of frigates and corvettes has become a priority in many nations, and corvettes are in the greatest demand on the market," Prostyakov said. A corvette can act as a task force flagship and maintain the force's interaction with other vessels, control points and aircraft.
Taking into account the current tendency of the shipbuilding market, the Northern bureau offers multifunctional corvettes displacing 1,800t, guard-ships displacing 1,350t and patrol boats displacing 300 to 600t made on the stealth technology. Unlike costly Western developments in the stealth sphere, Russian vessels are distinguished for an optimal cost-efficiency ratio. The stealth effect is achieved through an original architecture of the corvette's hull and superstructure that hides several armament systems.
The projects are universal, and various types of vessels, including missile and artillery, patrol, air defense and anti- submarine ships, can be designed on their basis.
The corvette displacing 1,800t is intended for action against surface ships and submarines of the enemy, protection of vessels on a sea voyage, guard and fire support of landing parties, protection and control over territorial waters. The corvettes are fitted with the Club-N universal missile system firing anti-submarine and anti-ship missiles placed in launch containers inside the vessel's hull. Besides, the corvette can be armed with the Shtil-1 surface-to-air missile system, 100mm and 30mm artillery systems, electronic detection and warfare assets, a hangar for the KA-28 Helix helicopter. The full speed is 30 knots and range of operation over 3,500 miles.
More than 450 vessels of various purposes displacing a total of one million tonnes have been built on projects worked out by the Northern bureau.