Cruiser Petr Veliky, INS Trishul to conduct joint exercise

11.08.2010 Northern Fleet (NF) heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Petr Veliky and Indian frigate INS Trishul will hold PASSEX naval exercise in the Arabian Sea on Wednesday, reported RIA Novosti citing an official of Russian embassy in New Delhi.

"During the exercise the ships will practice air defense, artillery firing, joint maneuvering, transshipment, and underway replenishment", said the interviewee.

Petr Veliky returns to NF main base Severomorsk after large-scale exercise Vostok 2010 held in June near Vladivostok. The NF flagship called at Indian port Mormugao on Aug 6.

This has been the second visit of the ship to Mormugao. Petr Veliky have already called at the port in Jan 2009.

During the stay, the cruiser replenished water supplies; fruit and vegetables were delivered on board as well. The crew went ashore and visited local places of interest.

Primarily, Petr Veliky is designed to engage carrier strike groups. She is armed with 20 Granit antiship missile launchers, 12 tubes with 8 SAM Fort in each, 16 tubes with 8 SAM Kinzhal in each, 6 combat modules of Kortik antiaircraft gun/missile system, automatically-controlled AK-130 gun mount, 10 launchers of ASW guided missiles Vodopad, and ASW rocket launchers.

The cruiser is capable to carry two ASW helicopters Ka-27 and SR helicopter Ka-27PS.

Petr Veliky has the crew of 635, length of 250 meters, height of 59 meters, displacement of 25,860 tons, max speed of 32 knots.