The Sredne-Nevsky Shipbuilding Plant of Russia's state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation laid the keel of a new Project 12700 mine countermeasures (MCM) vessel at its Saint Petersburg facilities on Friday, August 29.
The future Leonid Balyakin will be the 15th in the Project 12700 series, otherwise known as the Alexandrit-class. The MCM vessel's namesake is Rear Admiral Leonid Nikolaevich Balyakin, a Soviet Navy officer who saw service in World War II and who was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union decoration.
Upon completion, the MCM vessel will have a length of 61 metres, a beam of 10.2 metres, a draught of 2.68 metres, a displacement of approximately 890 tonnes at full load, and space for 44 crewmembers. The vessel will feature a vacuum-infused FRP hull combining light weight with enhanced durability.
Two 1,864kW diesel engines will drive rudder propellers to deliver speeds of up to 16.5 knots and a range of 1,600 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 10 knots.
The vessel's armament will include a 30mm close-in weapon system for use against light airborne and surface threats, mines, surface-to-air missiles, and pintle-mounted 14.5mm machine guns.