Project 1388NZ / Baklan-class communication boat is a Russian Navy special-purpose command-and-communications vessel built by Sokol Shipyard from a Vympel design lineage. The modified Project 1388NZK boat KSV-2168 entered Baltic Fleet service in December 2018 to move command and inspection personnel and support fleet command communications at sea.
The Project 1388 label covers several related auxiliary-boat branches. For KSV-2168, the important split is between the earlier Project 1388NZ communication boats and the enlarged modified Project 1388NZK boat completed for the Baltic Fleet.
| Branch | Representative entries | Reader-facing distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Project 1388 and 1388N | Torpedo retrievers and earlier communication boats | Baseline Baklan-family hull lineage recorded by RussianShips. |
| Project 1388NZ | KSV-872 and KSV-2155 | Earlier special-built communication boats completed before KSV-2168. |
| Project 1388NZK | KSV-2168 / Andrey Pervozvanny | Modified command-and-communication boat covered by this record. |
| Project 1388NZT | TL-2195 and related torpedo-recovery craft | Later torpedo-recovery derivative, useful for keeping the communication-boat role distinct from recovery craft in the same family. |
Open sources describe Project 1388NZK as a support vessel for fleet command rather than a combatant. The boat's value is in moving command and inspection personnel, hosting a march headquarters, and maintaining communications with naval groups at sea.
| Mission lane | Documented feature | Catalog relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Fleet command support | Modern communication and navigation systems, including MR-231-family navigation radar | Explains why the vessel appears in the catalog as command-and-control infrastructure rather than as a direct-fire platform. |
| Command staff transport | Designed to deliver command and inspection personnel to ships at anchor or in exercise areas | Separates the boat from patrol craft or landing craft with direct tactical weapon roles. |
| Exercise-area headquarters | GlobalSecurity reports that a fleet marching headquarters can be located aboard the boat | Supports service-context reading when no named armed-conflict use is publicly documented. |
The Baklan communication boats sit inside the wider Project 1388 family, which RussianShips traces from torpedo-retriever and radiological-monitoring craft into communication and torpedo-recovery derivatives.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Project 1388 / 1388N | Base torpedo-retriever and early communication-boat family | RussianShips lists Project 1388 torpedo retrievers and Project 1388N communication boats as earlier branches of the Baklan family. Sources: Torpedo retriever - Project 1388 |
| KSV-872 and KSV-2155 | Earlier Project 1388NZ communication boats | RussianShips lists KSV-872 and KSV-2155 as earlier Project 1388NZ boats completed before the larger modified KSV-2168. Sources: Torpedo retriever - Project 1388, Project 1388NZ Communication boat |
| Project 1388NZT | Torpedo-recovery derivative | RussianShips lists Project 1388NZT as a related torpedo-retriever derivative built by Sokolsky Shipyard after the communication-boat branch. Sources: Torpedo retriever - Project 1388 |
RussianShips lists KSV-2168 as laid down in 2015 under factory number 403 at Sokolskaya Shipyard.
Sources: Communication boat - Project 1388NZK
GlobalSecurity reports the lead boat was launched on 27 October 2017 before later towage and completion work.
Sources: Project 1388NZ Communication boat
Both GlobalSecurity and RussianShips place commissioning in December 2018, establishing the boat in Baltic Fleet service.
Sources: Project 1388NZ Communication boat, Communication boat - Project 1388NZK
