TARANTUL III CORVETTE MAKES ITS APPEARANCE

The Soviet TARANTUL III class guided-missile corvette, seen (in the Baltic) for the first time in mid-1987, has virtually the same hull form as the TARANTUL I and II, but differs in armament and external appearance. The mast is of a different type, perhaps to compensate for the extra topweight due to a heavier missile system, and the funnel has been eliminated in favour of venting through ports in the ship's side, possibly to reduce tell-tale IR radiation. Length is estimated at 56.5m, beam 105m and draught 2.5m, and displacement 480t standard and 540t operational. The article includes a brief description of the armament and associated systems; the armament includes four SS-N-22 missiles in two twin container/launchers. The SS-N-22 is the first Soviet anti-ship missile that can be classed as a sea-skimmer. A photograph of TARANTUL III, with an explanatory sketch indicating the armament and other external equipment, is included. It is estimated that five or six TARANTUL IIIs have so far been built.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Intl. Defense Rev., 20 (1987), p. 1305 (No. 10) [2 pp.,1 fig., 1 phot.]
• Authors:
  • Breyer, S
• Publication Date: 1987

Language

• English

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Dislocation (Geology); Military vessels; Tonnage
• Old TRIS Terms: Corvettes; Tarantul iii
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00692798
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: British Maritime Technology
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 14 1995 12:00AM