
The first British boat for the Ukrainian Navy will not be laid down until early 2022. This was announced by Tim Woods, the Defense Attaché of the British Embassy in Kiev.
According to the British military attaché, at present, the project of boats for the Ukrainian Navy is just being developed, work is being carried out by two companies at once. According to preliminary data, the laying of the first boat will take place at the beginning of next year, 2022.
I hope that the construction of the first ship will begin early next year. It's fast enough from design to production
- said Woods in an interview with The Day.
In total, the British diplomat takes no more than two years to build the entire series. Four boats will be built at British shipyards in the presence of Ukrainian specialists, and four more will be built in Ukraine. He said that he hopes for the appearance of the first boat in the Ukrainian Navy in 2025.
Since the boats are only designed specifically for the Ukrainian Navy, their characteristics are completely unknown. Following the wishes of Kiev, their length will be approximately 50 to 65 meters, and the speed will be 40 knots. Also, the boats of the Ukrainian anti-ship missile "Neptune" will not be on board, the Norwegian anti-ship missiles Naval Strike Missile (NSM) will be installed. Artillery armament may be strengthened.
Earlier, the Naval Forces of Ukraine expressed a desire to build not eight missile boats, but six boats and two minesweepers.