Project 1241.2 Molnaya 2-class (Pauk)

Summary

Description

The Project 1241.2 Molniya-2, also known as the Pauk class, represents a series of small patrol corvettes developed for the Soviet Navy and various export customers from 1977 to 1989. These vessels were created primarily for coastal patrol duties and inshore anti-submarine warfare. The Pauk class corvettes were born as a patrol variant of the Tarantul class (Project 1241.1) with an extended hull length and powered by diesel engines. They boast a unique feature of having a dipping sonar system, similar to those employed in Soviet helicopters, which underscores their specialized anti-submarine capabilities.

During its production run, 29 ships were constructed for the Soviet forces. As of 2022, only one of these, named Sokol, remains operational within the Russian Coast Guard. Another ship, Kuban, was scrapped in Crimea in March 2021. These ships have also been exported to several countries. The Bulgarian Navy received two ships, Bodri and Reshitelni, in 1989/1990. Cuba has one Pauk class ship in service. The Indian Navy acquired four ships in the late 1980s, designated as the Abhay class, which included INS Abhay, INS Ajay, INS Akshay, and INS Agray, with INS Abhay being the last in operational service as of 2022. Plans for license production of more ships in India were eventually dropped in favor of the indigenous Kamorta class.

Ukraine is another operator of the Pauk class, having transferred two ships to its Navy, U207 Uzhhorod, now decommissioned, and U208 Khmelnytskyi, which was taken over by Russia. Additionally, three vessels serve with the Ukrainian Sea Guard: BG-50 Hryhoriy Kuropyatnykov, which remains in active service, BG-51 Poltava, and BG-52 Hryhoriy Hnatenko. The latter two were ready for decommissioning and were left in Balaklava after the Russian annexation of Crimea; their status is presently unclear.

Operating countries for the Pauk class corvettes, thus, have included the Soviet Union/Russia, Bulgaria, Cuba, India, and Ukraine, with each country utilizing these ships according to their specific maritime defense requirements.

Technical specifications