The boat was made out of wood and powered by four M-50 diesel engines, and able to reach a maximum speed of 43 knots (80 km/h; 49 mph).

The Project 183 was used as the basis for multiple derivative designs, such as the Project 183-R missile boat, the first mass-produced missile boat which also scored the first combat kill with an anti-ship missile, the Project 199, a sub hunter derivative fitted with a sonar for the border guard, and the Chinese Type 55A, a gunboat fitted with larger calibre guns.

The ships were well-liked by their crews, and a large amount of them were exported to allied nations.

[1] In 1953, the People's Republic of China bought 39 P 6 torpedo boats from the Soviet Union and the plans to build their own.

Some of the ships were built with steel hulls instead of wooden ones as there was difficulty finding suitable wood.