Russian deputy PM urges Caspian Fleet upgrade

ASTRAKHAN, May 4 (RIA Novosti)

Russia's Caspian Flotilla is in urgent need of an upgrade, first deputy prime minister Sergei Ivanov said on Wednesday. "The fleet which is currently in service in the Caspian Sea could be characterized as outdated and uncompetitive," Ivanov, a former defense minister, said at a government meeting in the Caspian port city of Astrakhan. He said most of its 148 ships were over 30 years old. A second Gepard class frigate designed to engage surface ships, submarines and air targets, was floated out in the Caspian Sea earlier this month. It is expected to join the Caspian Flotilla later this year.