Poland asks Ukraine to repair warships

08.09.2010 Poland asks Ukraine to assist in repairs of Tarantul class corvettes, said Ukrainian defense minister Mikhail Yezhel.

"Those Project 1241 Polish warships need repair of gas turbine engines which are produced in Ukraine", said the minister after official talks with his Polish counterpart Bogdan Klich in Warsaw.

Yezhel added that the question was overhaul of two such corvettes.

"The Polish minister asked to approach this issue thoroughly and render assistance so that Ukraine would recover those engines", said Yezhel.

Tarantul-type corvettes Metalowiec and Rolnik were commissioned into Polish Navy in 1988 and 1989 respectively; they are in service at 3rd Flotilla of Polish Navy. Displacement is about 500 tons; length is 56.9 meters; beam is 10.2 meters; draft is 3.59 meters. Armament includes one 76.2-mm gun mount, two 30-mm gun mounts, two coupled antiship missile launchers, and one MANPADS launcher. Power plant includes 2 x 2,942 kW cruise gas turbines DM76 and 2 x 8,826 kW boost gas turbines; they all provide a ship with a speed up to 43 knots. Except for Ukraine, corvettes of this type are in service in Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, India, Romania, Vietnam, and Yemen.