Naval Systems

Project 206MR Vikhr / Matka-class missile boat

Also known as
  • Project 206MR
  • Project 206MR Vikhr
  • Matka class
  • Matka-class missile boat
  • R-262 Pryluky
  • P153 Pryluky
  • U153 Pryluky
  • R-15 Tbilisi

Project 206MR Vikhr, known to NATO as the Matka class, is a Soviet hydrofoil missile-boat class built for high-speed coastal attack with P-15M anti-ship missiles, a 76 mm gun, and close-in 30 mm defense; surviving post-Soviet boats appeared in Georgian and Ukrainian service, including Tbilisi in the 2008 war and Pryluky during Ukraine's coastal defense in 2022.

Project 206MR Vikhr / Matka-class missile boat, Hydrofoil missile boat / patrol boat, Naval Systems
Image source: Wikimedia Commons Pryluky Category

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
Hydrofoil missile boat / patrol boat
Service note
Late Cold War design with post-Soviet Georgian and Ukrainian service
Designer
Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau
Designed
1970s
Produced
1977-1983
Number built
12 completed

Specifications

Class designation
Project 206MR Vikhr; NATO reporting name Matka class
Displacement
233 tons standard; 257 tons full load
Dimensions
39.5 m length; 7.6 m beam; 2.0 m draft
Propulsion
Three 5,000 hp M-520 diesel engines plus diesel generators
Maximum speed
43 knots
Range
2,000 nmi at 12 knots; 1,100 nmi at 35 knots
Endurance
5 days
Crew
29, including 5 officers
Original missile armament
Two KT-97M launchers for P-15M Termit anti-ship missiles
Gun armament
One 76 mm AK-176M gun and one 30 mm AK-630M close-in weapon
Sensors and electronic fit
MR-101 Rangout or 4Ts53 Garpun radar, Omega navigation radar, Pchela ESM on R-262, and PK-16 decoy launchers
Hydrofoil Design And Service Limits

Project 206MR combined a single forward foil with a planing aft hull, letting a small missile boat reach high coastal speeds while retaining gun and missile armament. The surviving Ukrainian boat is best read as a patrol and coastal-presence craft after its Termit launchers were removed; the 2022 source supports observation near Odesa, not a confirmed missile engagement.

Hull concept

Hydrofoil missile boat for near-sea attack and patrol work.

Post-Soviet operators

Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia operated or inherited examples after Soviet service.

Sourcing limit

The Ukraine-war row documents reported operation near Odesa, not a confirmed strike by Pryluky.

Variants

The class was built as Project 206MR Vikhr and later appeared in a few post-Soviet service configurations, including a Russian test/modernization boat and Ukrainian patrol conversion.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Project 206MR VikhrBaseline hydrofoil missile boat

Standard boats carried two KT-97M launchers for P-15M anti-ship missiles, an AK-176M gun, AK-630M close-in gun, and navigation/search radars.

Sources: RussianShips Project 206MR

Project 02066 / R-44 CorsarExperimental Kh-35/Uran missile modernization

R-44 was modernized with Uran launchers and later an AK-630M1-2 Roy close-in weapon in place of the standard fit.

Sources: RussianShips Project 206MR

P153 Pryluky patrol configurationUkrainian boat after missile-launcher removal

By 2018 the Ukrainian Pryluky had its KT-97M Termit missile launchers removed, changing the surviving boat's practical role toward patrol and coastal presence.

Sources: RussianShips Project 206MR, Ukrainian Military Portal Pryluky Repair

Carried Anti-Ship Missiles

Project 206MR's original strike fit centered on compact anti-ship missile launchers mounted on a fast hydrofoil hull.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
P-15 Termit, Soviet anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsP-15 TermitBaseline anti-ship missile

RussianShips lists two KT-97M launchers for the Termit anti-ship missile complex with two P-15M missiles on the standard Project 206MR fit.

Sources: RussianShips Project 206MR

R-360 Neptune / Long Neptune, Truck-launched anti-ship and land-attack cruise missile, ArtilleryR-360 Neptune / Long NeptunePlanned Ukrainian refit missile

Ukrainian coverage reported a plan to install Neptune missiles on Pryluky after removal of the older Termit launchers, but the entry treats that as a planned refit rather than a completed wartime armament.

Sources: Ukrainian Military Portal Pryluky Repair

Timeline

Project 206MR Vikhr / Matka-class missile boat Key Events

  1. First boat commissioned

    RussianShips lists R-27 as the first completed Project 206MR boat, commissioned on December 31, 1977.

    Sources: RussianShips Project 206MR

  2. Georgian-war boat completed as R-15

    The future Georgian Tbilisi was built as R-15, later passed through Ukrainian service as Konotop and was transferred to Georgia before the 2008 war.

    Sources: RussianShips Project 206MR

  3. Black Sea Fleet partition sends boats to Ukraine

    Post-Soviet transfers left Ukraine with five Project 206MR boats, including Pryluky, Uman, Kakhovka, Tsuryupinsk, and Konotop.

    Sources: RussianShips Project 206MR, MilitaryLand Pryluky Repair

  4. Tbilisi destroyed at Poti

    RussianShips identifies Tbilisi as a former Ukrainian Project 206MR boat in Georgian service and says it was blown up at Poti by Russian airborne troops.

    Sources: RussianShips Project 206MR, Moscow Defense Brief Georgia War

  5. Pryluky returns from repair

    Ukrainian reporting described P153 Pryluky leaving the Mykolaiv shipyard after dock repair; related coverage notes the Termit missile-launcher removal that changed its role.

    Sources: Ukrainian Military Portal Pryluky Repair

  6. Pryluky reported near Odesa

    Russian Navy - News and Analysis reported that Ukrainian P153 Pryluky was observed patrolling near Odesa during early full-scale invasion naval activity.

    Sources: Russian Fleet Analysis Ukraine War

Media

Project 206MR Vikhr / Matka-class missile boat Images

Project 206MR Vikhr / Matka-class missile boat, Hydrofoil missile boat / patrol boat, Naval Systems - view 1
Source: Wikimedia Commons Poti Sunken Ship
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Sources

RussianShips Project 206MRPublisher: RussianShips.info | Note: Supports Project 206MR identity, Sredne-Nevsky build attribution, completed boats, dimensions, propulsion, armament, sensors, variants, Ukrainian transfers, and the Tbilisi/Poti conflict-use claim. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Moscow Defense Brief Georgia WarPublisher: Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies | Note: Supports 2008 Russo-Georgian War context for Georgia's missile boats at Poti and Russian destruction/scuttling of Georgian naval vessels. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Russian Fleet Analysis Ukraine WarPublisher: Russian Navy - News and Analysis | Note: Supports the direct 2014 Russia-Ukraine War claim that Ukrainian Matka-class P153 Pryluky was observed at sea near Odesa on March 2, 2022. | Accessed: 2026-07-06MilitaryLand Pryluky RepairPublisher: MilitaryLand.net | Note: Supports Pryluky's Ukrainian service, 1980 build year, 1997 transfer to Ukraine, and repair context before the full-scale war. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Ukrainian Military Portal Pryluky RepairPublisher: Ukrainian Military Portal | Note: Supports P153 Pryluky repair completion, removal of the Termit launchers, patrol-role context, and the reported plan to fit Neptune missiles. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Wikimedia Commons Pryluky CategoryPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports open-license image selection for Pryluky and identifies the category as Ukrainian missile boat U153 Pryluky / Matka-class vessel. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Wikimedia Commons Poti Sunken ShipPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the gallery image of the sunken Tbilisi at Poti and its Creative Commons license context. | Accessed: 2026-07-06