The Nanuchka class, Soviet designation Project 1234 ''Ovod'', are series of corvettes (small missile ships in Soviet classification) built for the Soviet Navy and export customers between 1969 and 1991.

Variants

These ships were designed around the

P-120 Malakhit The P-120 Malakhit (russian: П-120 «Малахит» 'Malachite'; NATO reporting name: SS-N-9 Siren, GRAU designation: 4K85) is a Russian medium range anti-ship missile used by corvettes and submarines. Introduced in 1972, it remains in service ...

("Siren") anti ship missile. Export versions used the

P-15 Termit The P-15 ''Termit'' (russian: П-15 "Термит"; en, termite) is an anti-ship missile developed by the Soviet Union's Raduga design bureau in the 1950s. Its GRAU designation was 4K40, its NATO reporting name was ''Styx'' or SS-N-2. China ...

("Styx") missile. In 2019 the missiles on ''Smerch'' were replaced with sixteen Uran/SS-N-25 'Switchblade'. Unlike smaller missile boats, both carry

SA-N-4 The 9K33 ''Osa'' (, literally "wasp"; NATO reporting name SA-8 ''Gecko'') is a highly mobile, low-altitude, short-range tactical surface-to-air missile system developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and fielded in 1972. Its export version na ...

("Gecko") SAMs for self-defence. The original Nanuchka I carried a twin 57mm

AK-257 The AK-257 is a Soviet 57mm naval gun, originally a land ZIF-31 L/70 57mm (Type 66/76) cannon. During the early 1950s, development began of naval versions of the 57x348mmSR 70 calibre weapon which had entered service with the Soviet army in 1950 ...

main gun, replaced by a 76mm

AK-176 The AK-176 is a Soviet naval gun mounted in an enclosed turret, that may be used against sea, coastal, and aerial targets, including low flying anti-ship missiles. The system is designed to arm small displacement ships and comprises the Gun Mou ...

in the Nanuchka III and an updated AK-176MA was added to ''Smerch'' during the refit. The Nanuchka III also has a rotary 30mm

AK-630 The AK-630 is a Soviet and Russian fully automatic naval, rotary cannon, close-in weapon system. The "630" designation refers to the weapon's six gun barrels and their 30 mm caliber. The system is mounted in an enclosed automatic turret and dir ...

point-defence gun to bolster its protection against missile attack. Currently Project 12341 ships are receiving BAGIRA Fire Control System turning them into multirole vessels.

Operational history

Reportedly the ''Mirazh'', a Nanuchka III corvette, sank a Georgian vessel during an attempted attack on Russian ships off Abkhazia on 10 August 2008.

Operators

*Nanuchka I (Project 1234) - 17 boats - retired in the 1990s, except ''Musson'' which was sunk in error by an SSM during an exercise in 1987 (39 fatalities). *Nanuchka III (Project 12341) - 16 boats - 6-8 in service with the Russian Navy as of 2022 (4 Baltic, 1-3 Pacific, 1 Northern). *Nanuchka IV (Project 12347) - 1 boat ''Nakat'' - retired in 2012. Trial vessel for

P-800 Oniks The P-800 Oniks (russian: П-800 Оникс; en, Onyx), also known in export markets as Yakhont (russian: Яхонт; en, ruby), is a Soviet / Russian supersonic anti-ship cruise missile developed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya as a ramjet version ...

ASHM. *Nanuchka II (Project 1234E) - 3 ships delivered in 1980-81, still in service. *Nanuchka II (Project 1234E) - 3 ships known as the ''Durg'' class, last ship decommissioned in 2004. *Nanuchka II (Project 1234E) - 4 ships delivered in 1982-85. ''Al Zaquit'' was sunk and ''Ain Al Gazala'' was damaged (later scrapped) by US forces on March 25, 1986. ''Ain Zaara'' was in repairs in Misrata and was destroyed in a NATO airstrike on May 19, 2011. The last ship, ''Tariq Ibn Ziyad'' was destroyed during a fight between Libyan government army and radical Islamist forces in Benghazi harbour November 3, 2014. Libyan People's Army *Nanuchka II (Project 1234E) - 1 ship ''Tariq Ibn Ziyad'' was captured in 2011 from the

Libyan Navy Libyan Navy ( ar, قوات البحرية الليبية) is the branch of the Libyan military responsible for naval warfare. Established in November 1962, Libyan Navy has been headed by Admiral Mansour Bader, Chief of Staff of the Libyan Naval F ...

. The ship was returned to Libyan Navy after the civil war. Subsequently destroyed in 2014.

Ships

Project 1234 (Nanuchka I)

Project 1234E (Nanuchka II)

Project 12341 (Nanuchka III)

Project 12347 (Nanuchka IV)

References

Other sources

* Also published as * * * *

Gallery

Image:Soviet-Nanuchka-1983.jpg, Export Nanuchka II-class corvette moored in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

(i.e.,

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

). Photo was taken in July 1983 Image:Mirazh2007.jpg File:Burning Libyan Corvette.jpg, Libyan Nanuchka II burns after being hit 25 March 1986 Image:Nanuchka-I DN-SC-88-09637.jpg, A port beam view of a Soviet Nanuchka I. {{Soviet and Russian ships after 1945 Corvette classes Cold War corvettes of the Soviet Union Corvettes of the Soviet Navy Corvettes of the Russian Navy Corvettes of the Algerian National Navy Corvettes of the Indian Navy Corvettes of the Libyan Navy