The Buyan class (
Russian: Буян,
lit. '
Buyan'), Russian designations Project 21630 Buyan and Project 21631 Buyan-M, are series of
corvettes (small artillery and missile ships in Russian classification) developed by
Zelenodolsk Design Bureau for the
Russian Navy. Since 2010, all subsequent vessels are being constructed as improved Project 21631 subclass, incorporating greater tonnage,
stealth technology and the 3S14
vertical launching system for either
Kalibr or
Oniks anti-ship cruise missiles, significantly enhancing combat capabilities. The ships are primarily designed for operations within
littoral zones to protect Russia's vast coastal areas. Due to the small tonnage, they can operate even within shallow parts of oceans and seas and
Russia's extensive inland waterway system. The export variant is known as Project 21632 Tornado.
Design
Initial information about a modified Project 21631, dubbed Buyan-M, was published in August 2010. The Project 21631 ships were to be an updated variant of the Project 21630 Buyan small artillery ships. They were to be up-armed with a USKS VLS system supporting the nuclear-capable
Kalibrcruise missiles (SS-N-27 Sizzler) and with additional
electronic countermeasure equipment.[6][7] Ships of Project 21631 were designated for national economic zones protection, same as the original variants.
The ships' small size and displacement enables them to operate within inland river systems, including traversing the
Moscow Canal. This allow them to redeploy to various seas around
European Russia. A particular advantage for the Buyan-M series were the limitations imposed by the
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) which prohibited land-based medium-range missiles while sea-based ones were not restricted. A river-based corvette could deploy such missiles without being subject to the restrictions.[citation needed] The lead ship of this project, Grad Sviyazhsk, was laid down on 27 August 2010 and commissioned on 27 July 2014.
Operational history
On 7 October 2015, corvettes Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich, Velikiy Ustyug and
Gepard-classfrigateDagestan, deployed in the
Caspian Sea, launched 26 Kalibr cruise missiles at 11 terrorist targets in Syria. The missiles flew nearly 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) over Iran and Iraq and struck targets in
Raqqa and
Aleppo provinces (controlled by the
Islamic State) as well as in
Idlib province (controlled by the
al-Qaeda-linked
Nusra Front).[8] According to
United States Department of Defense officials, several of these cruise missiles fired from Russian ships crashed in Iran and did not make it to their intended targets in Syria.[9]
On 20 November 2015, the same warships launched 18 Kalibr cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea at seven terrorist targets in Rakka, Idlib and Aleppo provinces.[10]
In 2016, the corvette Zelenyy Dol was deployed to the
Mediterranean Sea, later followed by sister ship Serpukhov.[11] On 19 August Zelenyy Dol and Serpukhov, deployed in the Mediterranean Sea, launched Kalibr cruise missiles at positions of Al-Nusra terrorist group in Syria. As a result of the strikes, number of terrorist facilities were destroyed, including command post and base near the village of
Dar Ta Izzah and weapon production plants and warehouses in Aleppo province.[12]
On 25 October 2016, Zelenyy Dol and Serpukhov were deployed to the
Baltic Sea to join a newly formed division at
Kaliningrad.[6] In 2020, Zelenyy Dol and the
Karakurt-class corvetteOdintsovo deployed to Arctic waters utilizing Russian internal waterways and illustrating the Russian capacity to transfer light units among the Russian Navy's three western fleets and the Caspian Flotilla as might be required.[13] A similar deployment was conducted in 2023 by Serpukhov.[14]
On 28 March 2022, a Buyan-class corvette fired eight Kalibr missiles from the Black Sea and claimed to have destroyed a Ukrainian arsenal at
Orzhev.[15][16]
On 17 June 2022, a photo emerged of Velikiy Ustyug being towed on the
Volga River in a damaged state after a Ukrainian attack.[17]
On 8 April 2024, Ukrainian military intelligence released a video in which they claimed to have started a fire onboard Serpukhov. The fire reportedly occurred on 7 April. Serpukhov was in harbour at
Baltiysk,
Kaliningrad Oblast. Ukrainian military intelligence claimed that the fire destroyed "its communication and automation systems."[18]
Variants
Project 21630 Buyan
Project 21631 Buyan-M – Upgraded design with modernised systems and new weapons
Project 21632 Tornado – Export design
Project 21635 Sarsar – Unveiled at Army-2022 expo, with an increased number of VLS cells, as well as a larger displacement overall
^На «Великом Устюге» поднят Андреевский флаг [At the Zelenodolsk plant named after A.M. Gorky, the laying down of the third MRK of the Buyan type will take place]. vpk-news.ru (in Russian). 19 December 2014.
Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2015.