VESSEL REVIEW | Bucha – Ukrainian Navy places locally-built gunboat into service

The Ukrainian Navy has taken delivery of a new armoured gunboat built by Kyiv-based shipyard Kuznia na Rybalskomu.

Named after a city in northern Ukraine, Bucha is the eighth vessel to be constructed under the Project 58155 series of small armoured artillery boats (Malі bron’ovanі artilerіys’kі kateri; MBAK), otherwise known as the Gyurza-M class. The Gyurza-M boasts are upgraded and slightly larger variants of the earlier Project 58150/Gyurza-class gunboats, which were originally built by Kuznia na Rybalskomu exclusively for Uzbekistan’s armed forces.

As with its Gzurza-M class sisters, Bucha has a length of 23 metres, a beam of 4.8 metres, a draught of only one metre, a displacement of 54 tonnes, and space for five crewmembers. Two diesel engines deliver a top speed of 25 knots and a range of 900 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 12 knots.

The MBAK’s armament consists of two Katran-M close-in weapon systems (CIWS) mounted on remotely operated stations fore and aft. Each CIWS unit includes a 30mm autocannon, two anti-ship/anti-armour missiles, a 30mm automatic grenade launcher, and a 7.62mm machine gun. The electronics suite meanwhile includes a navigation radar, a laser rangefinder, and an electro-optical targeting sensor.

The gunboat also has some protection from hostile fire thanks to the use of anti-ballistic steel for the superstructure, the engine compartment, and the storage area for the crew’s weapons. The wheelhouse itself boasts large windows ensuring enhanced all-round visibility. All onboard systems including those for navigation and communication are monitored from the wheelhouse via an integrated bridge system.

Bucha was designed by the State Research and Design Shipbuilding Centre. It will be operated primarily in shallow inland and coastal waters, performing maritime security patrols and providing naval gunfire support for friendly ground forces.

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