You're reading: Ukrainian Navy expects by 2017 to receive first corvette ship, says defense minister

The Armed Forces of Ukraine plan to put in operation the first ship of corvette class by 2017, Defense Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Lebedev has reported.

“The building of the ships of corvette class foreseen by the state target defense program for construction of the ships of corvette class under the project 58250, was approved under a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers in November 2011,” Lebedev said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

According to Lebedev, this program foresees financing for the construction of four corvette ships from 2011 to 2021.

“Now the main ship is being built. The complex state program on reforming and developing the Armed Forces of Ukraine envisages its being put into operation by 2017,” the minister said.

As reported, in December 2009, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and Black Sea Shipyard (Mykolaiv) after a tender conducted by the ministry signed a contract on the fulfillment of a state order to build corvettes for the Ukrainian Navy. Mykolaiv-based Research and Design Center designed the project.

In November 2011, the Ukrainian government approved a budget of UAH 16.2 billion for the corvette state program until 2021.

In 2012 the building of Volodymyr Velyky corvette for the Naval Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces started at Chornomorsky Ship Building Yard in Mykolaiv.