Russian Navy commissions patrol ship Vasily Bykov

The Russian Navy commissioned into service the lead ship of the Project 22160 series of patrol vessels on Thursday, December 20.

Vasily Bykov will be used to patrol the exclusive economic zone in open and closed areas, protect naval bases in the event of enemy attack, conduct anti-smuggling and anti-piracy operations, perform search and rescue (SAR) missions, and carry out environmental monitoring activities.

The vessel has a length of 94 metres, a width of 14 metres, a draught of 3.4 metres, a maximum speed of 30 knots, a range of 6,000 nautical miles at 16 knots, and accommodations for up to 80 persons.

Armament includes a 57-millimetre naval gun, up to eight Igla man-portable surface-to-air missiles, and two 14.5-millimetre machine guns.