During the 1970s, the Soviet Union constructed a new corvette group of compact warship known as the Nanuchka-class (also Project 1234 "Ovod"). Total strength eventually numbered forty-seven vessels completed with a single example cancelled. Five were ultimately lost under various circumstances and twenty-seven were retired (as of 2017). About a dozen remain in service with the modern Russian Navy (2017) and Algeria currently operates three ships.
The class, categorized as "missile boats", was constructed through three major batches and a one-off ship: Series I, Series II, Series III and Series IV. The Russian Navy took on seventeen of the Series I vessels and eighteen of the Series III. Series IV was a single boat named "Nakat" but this served primarily as a trials bed for the P-800 "Oniks" anti-ship cruise missile - it was retired in 2012. The Series II mark was the primary export model sold to various Soviet-allied countries in Africa and Asia.
The ships displaces 570 tons under standard load and are given an overall length of 195 feet with a beam measuring 41 feet and a draught down to 7.9 feet. Propulsion is from 3 x Marine diesels outputting 30,000 horsepower and driving 3 x shafts under stern. Range is out to 2,500 nautical miles and speeds could reach 32 knots in ideal conditions. Aboard are forty operating personnel.
The ship is outfitted with a surface search and fire control radar. Armament is centered on 6 x SS-N-9 medium-ranged anti-ship missiles though export models were given 4 x SS-N-2 missile systems instead. Beyond this is a single SA-N-4 surface-to-air missile (SAM) launcher with some twenty reloads provided. Conventional armament includes 1 x 57mm AK-257 twin-gunned turreted deck gun (Series I). This was replaced by a single-gunned 76mm fit in the Series III ships. Short-ranged threats are countered by the single Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) 30mm AK-630 installation (Series III).
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Specifications
Algeria; India (retired); Libya (all lost); Russia; Soviet Union (former) Operators
6 x SS-N-9 anti-ship missile launchers (4 x SS-N-2 for export ships).
1 x SA-N-4 Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) launchers (20 reloads).
2 x 57mm AK-257 deck gun OR 1 x 76mm AK-176 deck gun (Series III)/
1 x 30m AK-630 Close-In-Weapon System (CIWS) (Series III).
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