July 6, 2007:
After seven
years, Russia is getting its first Steregushchiy class corvette this Summer,
once it completes its sea trials. Displacing 1,900 tons, Steregushchiy is
equipped with eight SS-N-26 anti-ship missiles,
three eight-round SA-N-9 anti-aircraft missile launchers, a 100mm gun, two 30mm
Gatling guns, four 15.75-inch torpedo tubes, and two four-round anti-aircraft
missile SA-N-8 launchers. The 291 foot long ship has a crew of 120, and is
designed for maximum cruises of fifteen days (cruising at 25 kilometers an
hour, with top speed of a little over twice that). The Steregushchiys are meant
for coastal patrol. Three more are under construction, and the navy wants at
least twenty. The design is being offered to export customers.