The frigate is set to leave the Russian port of Kronstadt for the Barents Sea in northern Russia on March 23, Mikhailov said, adding that the warship will return to the country's port of Kaliningrad in mid-April.
The Yantar shipyard is to build a total of six Project 11356 frigates for the Russian Navy under a contract with the country's Defense Ministry.
Admiral Essen, #Russia's 2nd new Project 11356 frigate, has begun state trials before commissioning in April. #navy pic.twitter.com/f2l5zTgoEB
— Nick de Larrinaga (@NickJDWEurope) 3 февраля 2016 г.
The lead warship in the series, the Admiral Grigorovich, was laid down in December 2010 and delivered to the Black Sea Fleet in August 2015. The keel of the Admiral Essen frigate was laid in July 2011.
Among other weaponry, these frigates are armed with an eight-cell launcher for Kalibr and Klub anti-ship and surface-to-surface missiles, Shtil vertical-launch air defense missile systems, two torpedo tubes, an anti-submarine rocket system and a Ka-28 or Ka-31 helicopter, according to the website globalsecurity.org.
