Russian frigate Admiral Makarov is set to enter the final stage of testing before being accepted in service, according to Tass News Agency. The vessel, part of Project 11356, was built by Yantar Shipyard, a subsidiary of United Shipbuilding Corporation.
Admiral Makarov was initially slated to enter service in late 2016, but was delayed for unspecified reasons. Several months into 2017, Russian media reported that the vessel was delayed over issues with the Shtil-1 air-defense system.
However, Tass News Agency reported that the problems with Shtil-1 were resolved during the first quarter of 2017, paving the way for Admiral Makarov to move forward.
The vessel is now expected to enter service during the first half of this year. Once accepted, it will be the third Project 11356 frigate in Russian service. Lead frigate Admiral Grigorovich (pictured above) entered service in March 2016, followed by Admiral Essen in June 2016.
Moscow initially planned to receive six frigates of the class, but the end of military cooperation with Ukraine forced Russia to change its plans. Prior to the crisis in eastern Ukraine and Crimea, Russia had contracted Ukraine to provide gas turbine engines for the Project 11356 frigates.
While the first three in the class had already received their engines, two more already under construction were left without engines once Ukraine discontinued military cooperation. Rather than wait until a local alternative could be ready, Russia signed an agreement with India to export the two frigates being built and assist in the production of two more in India.
Military markets analyst, covering Eurasia, Middle East, and Africa.
