"Keel-laying is always an exciting event. The Derzky is a logical extension of the 20380 series and a breakthrough into the future. The designers have come up with many new ideas. Such ships are a pride of any fleet," the Russian’ Navy’s deputy commander for armaments, Viktor Bursuk, said at the ceremony.

ST. PETERSBURG, October 28. /TASS/. The Northern Shipyard in St. Petersburg has held the keel-laying ceremony at the site of the construction of a new-type corvette The Derzky (Project 20386), a TASS correspondent reports from the site of the event.

Chief adviser to the president of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, Viktor Chirkov, said the new corvette will be multifunctional and capable of addressing tasks "far beyond the near seas."

"This project incorporates many promising, modular solutions. It is not accidental the Northern Shipyard was selected to build the ship. It is already working on advanced ships of projects 20380/385. The new ship is an extension of the same ideas and design solutions that we offer to the Navy," Chirkov said.

Project 20386 will have a hull and superstructure having impressive stealth characteristics. It will carry advanced anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons and an air defense system. The 109-meter-long corvette’s displacement is estimated at 3,400 tonnes, and endurance, at 5,000 nautical miles. The crew’s standard strength is 80 officers and men.

The corvette will be equipped with power plants of Russian manufacture and the newest radar. The Derzky will be able to carry a deck helicopter and drones. It is scheduled to enter duty in 2021.

Project 20386 is the next model in the family of ships built under project 20380 and 20385. Currently, four corvettes of project 20380 are on duty. The first, The Steregushchy, was commissioned in 2008. The Soobrazitelny, The Boikyu and The Stoiky followed in 2011-2014.

The Northern Shipyard is to deliver three corvettes of projects 20380 and 20385 in 2018, and one more in 2019. Another three corvettes in the family are being built at the Amur Shipyards.