Karakurt-class corvette

The Karakurt class, Russian designation Project 22800 Karakurt (Russian: Каракурт, lit. 'Mediterranean black widow spider (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus)'), is a class of Russian Navy corvettes (small missile ships) first commissioned in 2018. The class is intended as a more seaworthy, blue-water complement to the Buyan-M-class corvettes, designed for the littoral zone and which as of 2015 serve in Russia's Caspian Flotilla, Baltic Fleet and Black Sea Fleet. The ships are designed to be armed with Kalibr or Oniks anti-ship cruise missiles and have an endurance of 15 days. They are also to be a cheap alternative for larger Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates, for which construction was delayed due to the suspended military cooperation with Ukraine, and because of Russia's intention to continue the modernization of its navy until all necessary tasks for construction of larger vessels domestically are solved. Delays in the supply of domestically-produced engines for the Karakurt class have held up the completion of several ships.