According to information published by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on January 10, 2023, the Ukrainian Defense Forces hit a boat of Russian forces, which could be a Raptor-class patrol boat, in the area of the Dnipro River island Bilohrudiv between Kherson and the city of Hola Prystan, Kherson region.
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Raptor class patrol boat. (Picture source: Tass)
The Raptor-class patrol boat, formally identified as Project 03160, is a series of Russian high-speed coastal patrol boats. This project was developed by the design bureau of JSC Leningrad Shipyard Pella on the instructions of the Russian Navy.
The boats are built at the Pella shipyard in the town of Otradnoye, Leningrad Region. At least five Raptor-class patrol boats have been visually recorded as destroyed or damaged during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The boats are designed for patrolling, search and rescue operations, and the transfer of troops in the coastal zone of the seas, straits and river estuaries at a maximum distance of up to 160 kilometres (100 mi) from the base. They can also be part of a large amphibious assault ship or a universal amphibious assault ship, located in the docking chamber or on board.
The bridge with two crew workstations and controls is shifted to the bow of the boat, it has armor protection of classes 5 and 5a, the windows are made of bullet-resistant glass 39 mm (1.5 in) thick.
The troop compartment is located behind the wheelhouse. For disembarkation / landing of the group, the upper and rear hatches of the troop compartment or the passage from the bow ramp through the wheelhouse are used.
Also, a bow ramp can be used for landing troops. In case of possible flooding of one of the compartments, it is blocked by a water-gas-tight door, which prevents water from entering other compartments and subsequent flooding of the boat. The boats have a crew of 3, and a landing capacity of 20.
The engine room is equipped with two American 6-cylinder Caterpillar C18 ACERT E-rating turbo diesels 860 kW (1,150 hp) at 2300 rpm, 18.1 litres (1,100 in3) displacement, cylinder block configuration - L6, then there is a so-called clutch mechanism, followed by a shaft line (motor - coupling - propeller shaft) for the English "Rolls-Royce" Kamewa 36A3 HS jet propellers. In the base of the ship's hull, the volume of this water conduit is 170 litres (45 US gal).
