Polnocny-class landing ship


The Polnocny -class ships are amphibious warfare vessels. They were designed in Poland, in cooperation with the Soviet Navy and were built in Poland between 1967 and 2002. They now serve in several different navies, and some have been converted to civilian use. The name comes from the Stocznia Północna shipyard at Gdańsk, where they were built. 107 were built by 1986. In 2002, one ship of a modernised design NS-722 was built in Gdynia for Yemen.

Characteristics

The Polnocny-class ships are classified as medium landing ships in the Russian Navy, and are loosely equivalent to Western tank landing ships. They are equipped with a bow ramp that allows beach landings. The Polnocny-C version can carry 12 BMP-2 armored personnel carriers, or 4 Main Battle Tanks, or 250 infantrymen with their weapons like 82 mm Mortars and ATGMs, or 250 tons of rations & stores. Unlike their Western counterparts, these ships can provide substantial fire support for landed troops with their onboard multiple rocket launchers. Other armament consists of anti-aircraft guns and short-range surface-to-air missiles.

Variants

The Polnocny class comprises several sub-types that vary in size and capacity:

Operational service

Built in large quantities, the Polnocny-class ships were once the mainstay of the Soviet amphibious forces, and gave the Soviet naval infantry an effective force projection capability. They were gradually phased out in favour of hovercraft, and few remain active in a number of navies.

Current operators

  • − 1 Polnocny-B armed with a twin AK-230 gun as of 2023
  • − 1 Polnocny-A and 1 Polnocny-B as of 2023
  • − 1 Polnocny-A and 2 Polnocny-B as of 2023

Potiental operators

Former operators

  • − 3 Polnocny-B as of 2023, destroyed by Israel in 2024 after the fall of the Assad regime
  • − Non-operational by 2004
  • − 3 Polnocny-A
  • − Operated 2 Polnocny-A ships and 8 Polnocny-D from 1966 to 2024
  • − 3 Polnocny-D
  • − 1 Polnocny-C was converted into an amphibious command vessel
  • − Operated 1 Polnocny-B as a logistic support ship as late as 2004
  • − Passed on to successor states
  • - 1 Polnocny-C, the Yuri Olefirenko, no longer in service as of 2023
  • − Passed on to the unified Yemeni state
  • − 3 Polnocny-B in poor state by 2004