Project 159AE (ex-FSU Petya III)

The Petya class was the NATO reporting name for a class of light frigates designed in the 1950s and built for the Soviet Navy in the 1960s. The Soviet designation was "Storozhevoi Korabl`" (Сторожевой Корабль - Sentry Ship) Project 159.

Developed in the late 1950s as the Soviet Union's first gas-turbine-powered warships, the Project 159 class entered service in 1961, with the Project 159AE variant specifically designed as a simplified export version for allied nations. These export frigates were widely transferred to navies such as India, Syria, and Vietnam, where they saw significant action, most notably with the Indian Navy during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. Although decommissioned by the Russian Navy in the 1990s, several Project 159AE vessels remained operational with the Vietnamese Navy well into the 2010s, cementing their legacy as highly durable and cost-effective coastal patrol assets.