Russian Caspian Flotilla to get new ships

MOSCOW, March 23 (UPI)

Within the next eight years Russia's Caspian Flotilla will receive 16 new vessels, the navy said.

Later this year the Caspian Flotilla is to receive two new ships -- the Project 11661k Missile Ship Dagestan and the Project 21630 Volgodonsk small artillery ship.

The Zelenodolsk Development and Design Bureau in Tatarstan designed the ships.

Both vessels incorporate stealth technologies. The Dagestan is the Russian navy's first warship equipped with the Kalibr-NK missile system that is able to use several types of high-precision missiles against surface and shore targets at ranges of up to 190 miles.

The Volgodonsk light artillery support ship, with a draft of less than 7 feet, combined with its high maneuverability, is intended to perform a wide variety of missions in the Caspian Sea's littoral zones, in rivers and estuaries, as well as in other constricted waterways, Krasnaia Zvezda reported.

The next two warships scheduled for delivery to the Caspian Flotilla are Project 21631 small missile ships, the Uglich and the Grad Sviyazhsk, which will also be equipped with the Kalibr-NK missile system.