Russia's Project 20380 Mercury corvette enters the final stages of sea trials

According to information published by Tass on December 5, 2022, the Mercury corvette built by the Severnaya Verf Shipyard in St. Petersburg has entered the Gulf of Finland for the final stage of sea trials, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The Mercury crew will check the seaworthiness of the corvette, the working efficiency of its systems, mechanisms and weapons in the coming days. After that the ship will return to the shipyard to remove exposed defects before state acceptance trials. Mercury is the fifth project 20380 ship, built by the Severnaya Verf Shipyard (affiliated with the United Shipbuilding Corporation). Project 20380 warships carry the Uran missile system with four container launch pads and an ammunition load of eight Kh-35U anti-ship missiles with a firing range of up to 260 km. The corvette has a displacement of 1800 tons, a total of 2220 tons. The greatest length is 104.5 meters, the width is 13 meters and the maximum draft is 7.95 meters. It has a maximum speed of 27 knots and has a cruising range of 4000 miles. The Steregushchiy-class corvettes have a steel hull and a composite material superstructure, with a rounded bow and nine watertight subdivisions. In general, Project 20380 ships differ from anti-submarine ships currently in service with the Russian Navy in their versatility, compactness, low visibility and high degree of automation of ship systems.