Russia to Start Building Project 20385 Frigate on July 1

The Project 20385 corvette Bystriy designed by the Almaz Design Bureau will be laid down on the anniversary day of the Amur Shipyard in Russia’s Far East.

"On the anniversary day of the Amur Shipyard, July 1, a ceremony will take place to lay the keel of the Project 20385 new corvette Bystriy developed by the Almaz Design Bureau (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation). The new ship will become a new combat unit of the Pacific Fleet," United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) said in a statement on Thursday.

The new corvette will be the Project 20385 third warship and the ninth ship in a series of surface combatants being built at the Amur Shipyard under a contract with Russia’s Defense Ministry. The Shipyard launched their construction last year, the press office specified.

Project 20380/20385 ships are a series of green-water multi-purpose corvettes developed for the Russian Navy. They are armed with Uran or Kalibr-NK anti-ship missile systems (depending on the ship’s modification), Kortik-M or Redut anti-aircraft missile systems, two 30mm AK-630M artillery guns, a 100mm A-190 artillery system, two 14.5mm machine-gun mounts and two DP-64 grenade launchers.

They are also outfitted with two 330mm Paket torpedo tubes as anti-submarine and anti-torpedo warfare weapons and can carry a Ka-27 helicopter.