Naval Systems

Project 1241 Molniya / Tarantul-class missile corvette

Also known as
  • Tarantul-class corvette
  • Tarantul class
  • Tarantul-class missile corvette
  • Project 1241
  • Project 1241 Molniya
  • Project 1241.1
  • Project 1241.RE
  • Project 12411
  • Project 12418
  • Project 1241.8 Molniya
  • Project 12421
  • Tarantul-IV
  • Stupinets
  • Strelok
  • Molniya class

The Project 1241 Molniya, known to NATO as the Tarantul-class, is a Soviet-designed missile corvette and fast-attack craft family built for coastal anti-surface warfare. Its branches run from P-15/P-20 Termit export boats through Moskit-armed Tarantul-III variants to revived Project 12418 hulls such as Stupinets and Strelok with Uran/Kh-35 missile fits.

Project 1241 Molniya / Tarantul-class missile corvette, Missile corvette class, Naval Systems
Image source: R-334.Ivanovets.201208.2cropped.JPG

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Specifications

Role
Coastal anti-surface warfare missile corvette and fast-attack craft family
Displacement
480 long tons standard / 540 long tons full load
Dimensions
56 x 10.5 x 2.5 m
Speed
Earlier gas-turbine branches are commonly listed around 42 knots; Project 12418 diesel conversions are reported around 29 knots
Range
2,400 nmi at 12 knots for baseline references; Project 12418 Strelok reporting cites about 2,900 nmi and 10 days autonomy
Crew
About 44-50 depending on variant
Propulsion
Earlier COGAG/CODAG turbine arrangements; Project 12418 Stupinets/Strelok conversions use diesel propulsion
Sensors and fire control
Garpun-Bal/Harpun-family surface target detection and missile targeting, MR-123/Bagira gun fire control on later reporting, navigation radar, electronic warfare, and IFF fits vary by variant
Project 12418 fit
Reported with 2 x 4 Uran/Kh-35-family anti-ship missile launchers, AK-176M/AK-176MA 76 mm gun, AK-630M close-in weapons, and Igla or Verba MANPADS
Armament
P-15 Termit, P-270 Moskit, or Kh-35 anti-ship missiles; 76 mm AK-176 gun; AK-630 30 mm CIWS; SA-N-5 or SA-N-8 point air defense
Major Variants

Project 1241 split into export and Soviet branches, then into later Molniya developments. The table below groups the main family members by the missile fit and visible configuration changes most useful for identification.

VariantNATO nameDistinguishing fit
Project 1241.RETarantul-IExport branch associated with P-15/P-20 Termit or Styx-family missiles and first-generation radar fit.
Project 1241.1Tarantul-IISoviet branch with Termit/Styx-family missiles, AK-176 gun, and AK-630 close-in weapons.
Project 12411 / 1241.1MTarantul-IIIHigher-performance branch fitted around P-270 Moskit anti-ship missiles.
Project 12418Tarantul-IV / MolniyaLater Uran/Kh-35 missile branch; Stupinets and Strelok show the revived Russian configuration with a larger superstructure and diesel propulsion.

Variant grouping is synthesized from Naval Encyclopedia, GlobalSecurity, Naval News, and 2025 Strelok reporting.

Variants

Project 1241 designations separate export and Soviet branches, then later Moskit- and Uran-armed developments. Open sources differ in how they group subvariants, so the rows below emphasize visible missile and fleet-role distinctions.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Project 1241.RE / Tarantul-IExport P-15/P-20 branch

Export boats are commonly described with Styx/Termit-family anti-ship missiles and the first-generation Tarantul-I export configuration.

Sources: Tarantul Class Corvette, Project 1241 - Tarantul Class

Project 1241.1 / Tarantul-IISoviet P-15/P-20 branch

The Soviet Tarantul-II branch retained the compact missile-corvette role with gun and close-in weapon fits around the Termit/Styx missile family.

Sources: Tarantul Class Corvette, Project 1241 - Tarantul Class

Project 12411 / 1241.1M / Tarantul-IIIMoskit-armed upgrade

Tarantul-III derivatives are identified as the higher-performance branch fitted around P-270 Moskit/SS-N-22 anti-ship missiles.

Sources: Tarantul Class Corvette, Project 1241 - Tarantul Class

Project 12418 Molniya / Tarantul-IVUran/3M24 branch

Naval News and later 2025 reporting describe Stupinets and Strelok as Russian Project 12418 conversions with a larger superstructure, diesel propulsion, and Uran/Kh-35-family anti-ship missiles.

Sources: Russia Launches New Variant of Tarantul-Class Corvette, Russia Launches Strelok Tarantul-Class Corvette

Carried Anti-Ship Missiles

Project 1241 ships are defined by their anti-ship missile fit; different branches carry different Soviet or Russian missile families.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
P-15 Termit, Soviet anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsP-15 TermitAnti-ship cruise missile

Early Soviet and export Tarantul branches are documented with P-15/P-20 Termit/Styx-family anti-ship missiles in fixed deck launch containers.

Sources: Tarantul Class Corvette, Project 1241 - Tarantul Class

Later missile fits

Later Project 1241 branches moved to P-270 Moskit or Uran/3M24 missile systems; those missiles are kept unlinked here because no exact public catalog records were found during this pass.

Sources: Tarantul Class Corvette, Project 1241 - Tarantul Class, Russia Launches New Variant of Tarantul-Class Corvette, Russia Launches Strelok Tarantul-Class Corvette

Timeline

Project 1241 Molniya / Tarantul-class missile corvette Key Events

  1. Project 1241 production begins

    Open naval references place early Project 1241 production in the late 1970s as the Soviet Union fielded a compact missile-corvette successor for coastal strike duties.

    Sources: Tarantul Class Corvette, Project 1241 - Tarantul Class

  2. Ivanovets sunk near occupied Crimea

    Ukrainian and naval-analysis reporting identified Ivanovets as a Russian Black Sea Fleet Tarantul/Project 1241 missile corvette lost after a Ukrainian unmanned surface vessel attack near Lake Donuzlav.

    Sources: What the Sinking of the Russian Corvette Ivanovets Teaches, Ukraine Sinks Russian Tarantul-II Class Corvette With Kamikaze USV Swarm Attack

  3. Stupinets launched

    Vympel Shipyard launched Stupinets, a Russian Project 12418 Molniya/Tarantul-IV missile corvette with a revised superstructure and Uran missile armament.

    Sources: Russia Launches New Variant of Tarantul-Class Corvette

  4. Strelok Project 12418 conversion relaunched

    Army Recognition reported that Vympel Shipyard relaunched Strelok, a second long-delayed Project 12418 conversion of a 1990s hull, with Kh-35 Uran missiles, upgraded electronics, and new diesel machinery.

    Sources: Russia Launches Strelok Tarantul-Class Corvette

Media

Project 1241 Molniya / Tarantul-class missile corvette Videos

Project 1241 Molniya / Tarantul-class missile corvette Images

Project 1241 Molniya / Tarantul-class missile corvette, Missile corvette class, Naval Systems - view 1
Source: Pr.12411T.jpg
Project 1241 Molniya / Tarantul-class missile corvette, Missile corvette class, Naval Systems - view 2
Source: ORP Rolnik.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
P-270 Moskit, Supersonic anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsP-270 MoskitSupersonic anti-ship cruise missileThe P-270 Moskit, also known as 3M80/3M82 and SS-N-22 Sunburn, is a Soviet and Russian supersonic anti-ship cruise missile developed by MKB Raduga and produced at Progress plant in Arsenyev. The family is centered on shipboard strike from Sovremenny destroyers, Tarantul missile corvettes, and Project 1239 surface-effect corvettes, pairing inertial midcourse navigation with active/passive radar terminal homing and a low-altitude ramjet flight profile.
Project 1234 Ovod / Nanuchka-class missile corvette, Guided missile corvette family, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsProject 1234 Ovod / Nanuchka-class missile corvetteGuided missile corvette familyProject 1234 Ovod, known in NATO reporting as the Nanuchka class, is a Soviet guided-missile corvette family built around a compact high-speed hull with heavy anti-ship missile armament. Soviet Project 1234 and 12341 ships carried P-120 Malakhit missiles and an Osa-M point-defense launcher, while export Project 1234E boats carried P-15/P-20 Termit missiles; documented combat losses connect Libyan export hulls to the 1986 Gulf of Sidra fighting, NATO's 2011 Libya campaign, and the 2014 Benghazi fighting.
Project 20380 / Steregushchiy-class corvette, Missile corvette, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsProject 20380 / Steregushchiy-class corvetteMissile corvetteProject 20380, known to NATO as the Steregushchiy class, is a Russian Navy guided-missile corvette family designed by Almaz and built by Severnaya Verf and Amur Shipyard for coastal escort, anti-surface, anti-submarine, and amphibious-support missions. The baseline ships combine Uran anti-ship missiles, Redut or Kortik air defense depending on hull, Paket-NK torpedo launchers, and a Ka-27 helicopter facility in a reduced-radar-signature corvette that remained in active Russian service during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
Project 205P / Stenka-class patrol boat, Coast guard anti-submarine patrol boat, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsProject 205P / Stenka-class patrol boatCoast guard anti-submarine patrol boatProject 205P is a Soviet coast guard and anti-submarine patrol-boat class known to NATO as the Stenka class. The design reused the Project 205 Osa hull but traded the missile-boat mission for 400 mm torpedo tubes, depth-charge equipment, sonar, and twin 30 mm AK-230 gun mounts. Its Russia-Ukraine War record is best documented as Black Sea patrol and loss/capture evidence: Ukrainian Donbas was reported seized at Mariupol in April 2022, while a Russian Project 205P/Tarantul boat was reported sunk at Sevastopol after late-December 2023 Ukrainian strike activity.
Project 1164 Atlant / Slava-class guided-missile cruiser, Guided-missile cruiser, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsProject 1164 Atlant / Slava-class guided-missile cruiserGuided-missile cruiserThe Project 1164 Atlant / Slava-class guided-missile cruiser is a Soviet-designed surface-strike cruiser class built at the 61 Kommunara yard in Mykolaiv. Its large angled anti-ship missile battery, S-300F Fort area air defense, Osa-M point defense, AK-130 gun, and helicopter deck made the class a Russian fleet flagship type, with Moskva documented in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, Russia's Syria operation, and the 2022 phase of the Russia-Ukraine War before its sinking in the Black Sea.

Sources

Tarantul Class CorvettePublisher: Naval Encyclopedia | Note: Supports Project 1241 background, class history, branch structure, and family-level specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Project 1241 - Tarantul ClassPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports Project 1241 builder context, dimensions, propulsion, speed, crew, and armament across the class family. | Accessed: 2026-06-29What the Sinking of the Russian Corvette Ivanovets TeachesPublisher: U.S. Naval Institute | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use context by reporting the Tarantul-class corvette Ivanovets sunk in a Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicle attack near Crimea on 31 January 2024. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Ukraine Sinks Russian Tarantul-II Class Corvette With Kamikaze USV Swarm AttackPublisher: Naval News | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use context by reporting that Ukraine sank the Russian Tarantul-II class corvette Ivanovets near Lake Donuzlav with unmanned surface vessels on 31 January/1 February 2024. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Russia Launches New Variant of Tarantul-Class CorvettePublisher: Naval News | Note: Supports Project 12418 Stupinets launch timing, Vympel Shipyard context, revised Russian Tarantul-IV/Molniya configuration, Uran missile armament, and later-variant background. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Russia Launches Strelok Tarantul-Class CorvettePublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports the September 2025 Strelok Project 12418 launch/relaunch, Vympel conversion context, Kh-35 Uran missile fit, diesel machinery, updated electronics, and reported dimensions, speed, range, and endurance. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Russian Navy's Newest Stealth Corvette Hits the WaterPublisher: Baird Maritime | Note: Supports Stupinets Project 1241.8 launch context, Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau design attribution, Vympel Shipyard construction, anti-surface warfare role, and later-variant dimensions, crew, speed, and range. | Accessed: 2026-07-06R-334.Ivanovets.201208.2cropped.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports primary image provenance and licensing context for the Ivanovets photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Pr.12411T.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance and licensing context for the Tarantul II class photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-29ORP Rolnik.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance and licensing context for the Polish Tarantul-I class photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-29