In the 1983 Warsaw Pact (read: Soviet Ministry of Defence) decided that small missile boats of the Project 205 Tsunami (NATO: Osa) in the navies of USSR, Poland, East Germany and Bulgaria will be replaced by new, common type of craft designed by East Germans and armed in Kh-35 Uran missiles. Initial series were to be built by VEB Peenewerft shipyard in Wolgast (GDR) while later also by Polish Stocznia Północna (Northern Shipyard) in Gdańsk (and most likely also by Soviet shipyards). Prototype boat of the Project 151, the "Sassnitz" begun sea trials in 1988 and was officially commissioned in the Volksmarine der DDR on july 31 1990. At the same time at least six other ships were at various stages of completion (three more for East Germany and three for Poland).
Shortly before the unification of Germany missiles and associated equipment were removed and returned to Soviet custody. For a some time "Sassnitz" served in the Bundesmarine and in 1993 was transferred to Bundesgrenzschütz-See (Federal Border Guard-Sea - West German Coast Guard) and together with third ship of the series(ex-"Ostseebad Binz") underwent extensive rebuilt into patrol vessels of the P50 type: BG22 Neustrelitz and BG23 Bad Düben. In 2005 Bundesgrenzschütz was renamed Bundespolizei (Federalpolice) and both vessels had their pennant numbers changed to BP22 and BP23 respectively.
Second ship of the series (ex-"Ostssebad Sellin") was converted into armament test ship.
As mentioned before, fast attack craft of the Project 151 were also to enter service in the Polish Navy, classified as Project 660. Initial plans called for 8 boats to be commissioned (possibly more), hovewer by the end of 1990 only 3 hulls were delivered from Peenewerft and work on them in Gdańsk was hampered by delays in deliveries of necessary equipment from the Soviet Union. After the unification of Germany Polish Navy attempted to buy remaining hulls, but German authorities were putting exorbitant price demands and therefore these plans had to be dropped (hulls were later scrapped).
Three Polish craft were commissioned in 1992 (ORP Orkan), 1994 (ORP Piorun) and 1995 (ORP Grom), hovewer Soviet Union declined to supply Kh-35 missiles and for over a decade these ships served without their main armament.
In 2000 it was decided to modify all three ships, to allow them to use Swedish RBS-15 missiles (although the missiles weren't actually ordered by that time). After much delay all three ships were refitted by 2006 (getting, among others, new mast and electronic equipment). In the same year RBS-15 missiles were oficially ordered - RBS-15 Mk2 as an interim measure and RBS-15 Mk3 - delivered since 2011 - as ultimate equipment.
Note: As there could be some doubts about certain parts, I'd like to explain certain things:
- radar on top of modified Orkan's is Sea Giraffe drawn by me, as the only radar of that type I could find in Parts Sheets (for Royal Navy) was definitely some other model;
- grid constructions on which RBS-15 missiles are placed were drawn by me and are representation of those actually found on Polish ships;
- boxes of RBS-15 Mk2 were taken from Parts Sheets, but those of the RBS-15 Mk3 were again drawn by me, as I could found only very old ones that looked... well, I'd better not write what I think of them.
If there are some better, "official" renderings of those parts I will gladly use them. Otherwise I will be equally glad to add these elements to Parts Sheet Discussion thread.