The Zelenodolsk Shipyard in the Republic of Tatarstan launched two of the Project 21980 Grachonok-class eleventh and twelfth serial-produced anti-saboteur boat. The Grachonok class, Russian designation Project 21980 Grachonok, is a class of anti-saboteur and large guard boats being built for the Russian Navy. The class is designed to combat sabotage and terrorist forces and means in the waters off bases and near the approaches to them, as well as to assist the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation in solving the problems of preservation and protection of the state border of Russia. Twenty-four boats were built since 2008.
The Grachonok-class Anti-saboteur boats are designated to protect the water area of Russian naval bases, cited the data of the Design Bureau Vympel (the project’s developer).. Despite their small displacement compared to cruisers and aircraft carriers, the ships of this class have demonstrated their ability to cope with their assigned missions in very complex conditions and situations, including in the Syrian Arab Republic, providing for the security of the grouping of the Russian Navy’s ships staying there. The Grachonok-class Anti-saboteur boats will operate in the Baltic fleet.
The boats are outfitted with the radio-electronic equipment (the Anapa sonar for detecting underwater saboteur forces and capabilities, the MR-231 navigation radar and the MTK-201 M3 opto-electronic close air and surface acquisition system) and the facilities for spotting underwater targets (the Kalmar detection complex). The Project 21980 is armed with Igla portable antiaircraft missile weapon, 14.5mm MPTU machinegun and grenade launchers DP-65 and DP-64. The boat is 31-meter long and has a displacement of 138 tons. Full speed is 23 knots and the range is 200 miles. The crew comprises eight men.
JSC Zelenodolsk Shipyard is a shipbuilding company based in Zelenodolsk, Russia. It is part of the Ak Bars Holding. Zelenodolsk Plant became an important military shipbuilder when equipment was evacuated there from the western USSR early in World War II and the yard began building Artillerist-class submarine chasers. After the war, the shipyard specialized in building submarine chaser and small escort ship classes designed by its collocated design bureau. Following expansion of the yard in the early 1970s, Zelenodolsk Plant produced the larger escorts of the Koni class, which was intended exclusively for export. The Koni class was succeeded by the Gepard class.
