tarantul (stenka)

The Project 205P Stenka class is a Soviet-designed patrol boat primarily used for border patrol and anti-submarine warfare. It is an improved version of the Osa-class missile boat hull, featuring enhanced endurance and armament for its role.

Developed in the mid-1960s by the Almaz Design Bureau to secure Soviet maritime borders, the Project 205P (NATO reporting name "Stenka") entered service in 1967 with the Soviet Maritime Border Troops. The design adapted the successful Osa-class hull, replacing heavy anti-ship missiles with anti-submarine torpedoes and depth charges to counter intruding foreign submarines and smugglers. Throughout the Cold War, these vessels actively patrolled the Baltic, Black, and Pacific frontiers, and several units were exported to Soviet allies including Cuba, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the fleet was divided among successor states, and while most have been retired, a limited number continue to serve with the Russian Coast Guard and Ukrainian Sea Guard.