India Procures M90FR Gas Turbine Engines From Ukraine For Ex-Admiral Grigorovich-Class Frigates

January 22, 2021

India has procured two M90FR gas turbine engines from Ukraine that will be used to power ex-Admiral Grigorovich-class guided-missile stealth frigates that are being built for the Indian Navy by a Russian shipyard as part of a $2.5 billion deal. Under a contract signed in October 2018, Russia will deliver ex-Admiral Butakov and ex-Admiral Istomin frigates to the Indian Navy. Russian naval defense industry and Indian Goa Shipyard have signed an additional contract for two more Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates to be license-built at Goa Shipyard in India. The four ships are expected to be delivered to the Indian Navy by 2026.

The Admiral Grigorovich class, also referred to as Krivak IV class, Russian designation Project 11356Р/М, is a class of frigates built by the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad for the Russian Navy and Indian Navy. Based on the Talwar class, six ships were ordered for the Russian Black Sea Fleet under two contracts in 2010 and 2011 as a complement to the Admiral Gorshkov class frigates. The lead ship, Admiral Grigorovich, was laid down on 18 December 2010 and was commissioned on 11 March 2016. Initially, Ukrainian state-owned enterprise Zorya-Mashproekt was providing gas turbines for the Russian frigates, but after the Ukrainian crisis, Ukraine said it would no longer supply the engines.

As part of the deal signed on 20 October 2018 for delivery of Admiral Butakov and Admiral Istomin frigates to the Indian Navy, Rosoboronexport and Goa Shipyard have signed an additional contract for two more Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates to be license-build at Goa Shipyard in India. Under the contract, Russia will provide India the technology know-how to build the frigates on its own. The final cost for the two vessels is yet to be determined but was estimated at US$500 million. The Indian Navy should receive the ships in 2026 and 2027, respectively. The Indian variant of the ship will use Brahmos missile instead of Russian-made Kalibr, Oniks or Zircon anti-ship cruise missiles.

The M90FR is a gas turbine powering manufactured by Zorya-Mashproekt in Ukraine to power frigate sized surface combatants. The gas turbine develops 27,500-shp of power. Zorya-Mashproekt is a research and production complex that specializes in a gas turbine construction. The complex is located in the city of Mykolaiv, Ukraine and is part of the Ukrainian Defense Industries (Ukroboronprom) state corporation. Initially the factory was called the Southern Turbine Plant. Following the 2014 Crimean crisis, the Ukrainians refused to supply the Russian Navy with marine gas turbines from Zorya-Mashproekt, and so NPO Saturn has been commissioned to design new engines for the Admiral Gorshkov and Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates.

Courtesy: Military Leak