The Tsaplya class LCAC (Project 1206.1, Murena) is a medium size assault hovercraft operated by the Russian Navy.

History

These crafts are a lengthened version of the Lebed class LCAC hovercraft, which is the Russian Navy equivalent to the U.S. Navy

LCAC LCAC may refer to: Hovercraft * A generic term for an air cushioned landing craft, taken from US Navy designation "Landing Craft, Air Cushion". ** Landing Craft Air Cushion, a US Navy hull classification symbol for the Landing Craft Air Cushion-c ...

. They were also meant to replace the smaller Gus class LCAC. The prototype was built at

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and entered service in 1982. The second was completed in 1987. By the early 1990s ten ships had been produced. Like the Lebed they could be transported by the Ivan Rogov class assault transport. The ships had a bow ramp with a gun on the starboard side and the bridge to port. They were more heavily armed than the Lebed class and were probably used as patrol craft in addition to troop and equipment transport duties. The Tsaplya class was built for

Border Guards A border guard of a country is a national security agency that performs border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Germany, Italy or Ukraine) and rescue service duties. Name and uniform In ...

service along the

Amur The Amur (russian: река́ Аму́р, ), or Heilong Jiang (, "Black Dragon River", ), is the world's tenth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China ( Inner Manchuria). The Amur proper is long, ...

and

Ussuri River The Ussuri or Wusuli (russian: Уссури; ) is a river that runs through Khabarovsk and Primorsky Krais, Russia and the southeast region of Northeast China. It rises in the Sikhote-Alin mountain range, flowing north and forming part of the S ...

borders with China, and all served in the Amur/Ussuri River Flotilla. The type began to be withdrawn following the fall of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. Three ships have been scrapped, and by 1995 none were observed to be operational in the Russian Navy. In 2003 the

ROK Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ko, 대한민국 해군), also known as the ROK Navy or South Korean Navy, is the naval warfare service branch of the South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and amphibious operations. The ROK Navy inc ...

ordered three vessels from Russia. According to a source from the Russian delegation to the IndoDefence 2014 exhibition, the ROK Navy is interested in purchasing several more upgraded Murena-E vessels and in the repair of its current trio of vessels. On 10 January 2023, it was reported that the Khabarovsk shipbuilding plant is planning to resume construction of a modernised version of the Tsaplya class in 2023.

References

* Sharpe, Richard (RN) (ed.) ''Jane's Fighting Ships 1990-91'' {{Soviet and Russian ships after 1945 Amphibious warfare vessels of the Soviet Navy Amphibious warfare vessels of the Russian Navy Military hovercraft Landing craft

History

See also

References