Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) will build two or three more Ivan Gren-class large amphibious assault ships for the Russian Navy, Corporation CEO Alexei Rakhmanov said on Monday.
“A decision has been made to finalize the Ivan Gren project. In particular, there will be changes in the hull. There are plans to build at least two or more ships under the improved project,” the chief executive said.
“There is no contract yet,” he added.
As Rakhmanov said, the second ship of the first series, the Pyotr Morgunov, will be built actually in the same way as the lead ship Ivan Gren.
The CEO of the Yantar Shipyard (where the ships of this class are under construction), Eduard Yefimov, earlier told TASS that the Ivan Gren series won’t be continued and there are plans to develop a new project of a large displacement ship.
The Project 11711 large amphibious assault lead ship Ivan Gren was laid down at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad in December 2004 and put afloat in May 2012. It was accepted for service in the Russian Navy on June 20, 2018.
The second ship of this Project, the Pyotr Morgunov, being built at the Yantar Shipyard on the Baltic coast, is due to enter trials no later than March 2019. In June next year, the warship is expected to start shipbuilders’ sea trials.
Project 11711 warships are designed to land marines on a coastal area seized by the enemy and transport military hardware and equipment. The warship can carry 13 main battle tanks or 36 armored personnel carriers (infantry fighting vehicles), and also up to 300 marines. The amphibious assault ship can also transport a reinforced marine infantry company with organic military hardware and land it with the use of pontoons.
