Končar-class (Type 240)

The Končar class consists of six missile boats built for the Yugoslav Navy between 1977 and 1979 at Tito’s Shipyard Kraljevica in SR Croatia. Developed by the Brodarski institut in Zagreb, the design incorporates a mixture of Soviet and Western European equipment.

The class features a steel hull based on the Swedish Spica class and an aluminum superstructure. Propulsion is provided by a CODAG (Combined Diesel and Gas) configuration driving four shafts, utilizing diesel engines for cruising and gas turbines for high-speed operation. The vessels have an operational endurance of five to seven days. Initial armament consisted of Bofors guns and Soviet P-20 anti-ship missile launchers. Although designers originally planned for the use of French Exocet missiles, the project was modified due to procurement costs. For self-defense, the ships carry Wallop Barricade chaff launchers. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Rade Končar and Vlado Ćetković were modernized by replacing the stern gun with an AK-630 CIWS.

During the Croatian War of Independence, Vlado Ćetković was captured by Croatian forces while undergoing an overhaul. It was commissioned into the Croatian Navy as Šibenik and subsequently modified to carry Swedish RBS-15 anti-ship missiles. The remaining five units were relocated to Montenegro for service with the FR Yugoslav Navy.

In 1991, Hasan Zahirović-Laca engaged coastal batteries during the Battle of Zadar, where it was struck by three rounds that failed to penetrate the hull. Jordan Nikolov-Orce and Ante Banina participated in the Battle of the Dalmatian Channels as part of a naval blockade. During the 1999 Kosovo War, the units utilized camouflage and submarine pens to avoid NATO aviation. RTOP-405 recorded the downing of a UAV near Risan during this period using its Bofors gun.

In the post-war period, Ramiz Sadiku was decommissioned and eventually scrapped. Rade Končar was sold to Kenya in 2014 to provide guns and fire-control systems for the patrol vessel KNS Jasiri. Hasan Zahirović-Laca was decommissioned following its participation in the 2006 "Adrion Livex" exercise. The Montenegrin Navy converted RTOP-405 into the patrol boat Durmitor and designated RTOP-406 for a similar conversion process. Šibenik remains in active service with the Croatian Navy.