Gepard-class frigate
The Russian Gepard-class frigates, Russian designation Project 11661, is a class of frigates that were intended as successors to the earlier s and , and corvettes. The first unit of the class, "Yastreb" ("Hawk"), was laid down at the Zelenodol'sk Zavod shipyard at Tatarstan in 1991. She was launched in July 1993, after which she began fitting out; fitting was nearly completed by late 1995, when it was suspended due to lack of funds. Renamed "Tatarstan", the ship was finally completed in July 2002, and became the flagship of the Caspian Flotilla. She has two sister ships , "Albatross" (renamed "Dagestan"), and "Burevestnik" ("Storm Petrel"), which was still under construction . Design. These vessels are capable of employing their weapons systems in conditions up to Sea State 5. The hull and superstructure are constructed primarily of steel, with some aluminium-magnesium being used in the upper superstructure. They are equipped with fin stabilizers and twin rudders, and can use either gas turbines or diesel for propulsion in a CODOG configuration. "Gepard" is Russian for cheetah. Service history. In October 2015, "Dagestan", in company with three other Russian Navy ships serving with the Caspian Flotilla, launched cruise missiles at targets  in Syria. The missiles flew nearly over Iran and Iraq and struck targets in Raqqa and Aleppo provinces (controlled by the Islamic State) as well as Idlib province (controlled by the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front). Peshmerga forces (Kurdish armed forces located in northern Iraq) published a video allegedly depicting two cruise missiles mid-flight en route to Syria. Export. The Gepard-class was designed from the outset as a lightweight, inexpensive export vessel. Russia offers three variants of the class to the market: Vietnam. In March and August of 2011, the Vietnam People's Navy received two Gepard 3.9 -class frigates ordered in 2006, built in Russia at Tatarstan's Gorky Shipbuilding Plant. In late 2011, Vietnam signed a contract for an additional batch of two ships in an anti-submarine configuration. A further two ships are being considered to bring the total order up to six vessels. Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka began talks for the credit purchase of a Gepard 5.1 frigate in 2017 and the Sri Lankan cabinet approved the proposal by President Maithripala Sirisena for the purchase of the ship in September 2017.