Project 205 (Osa II)†

The Project 205 (Osa II) is a class of fast attack craft (missile boat) developed by the Soviet Union. It was designed primarily for anti-ship warfare, armed with four P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 Styx) anti-ship missiles.

Developed in the late 1960s as an improved variant of the original Osa I, the Project 205U (Osa II) was designed to counter NATO naval superiority through swarm tactics in coastal waters. This version introduced more powerful diesel engines and cylindrical launchers for the upgraded, folding-wing P-15U missile. The class achieved significant combat fame during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, where Indian Navy units successfully struck Karachi harbor, and during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. As one of the most numerous missile boat classes ever constructed, it has been retired from Russian service but remains in limited use with several export nations.