The vessel is intended for combating sabotage and terrorist threats
The official keel-laying ceremony was attended by the General Director of Vympel Shipyard Yevgeny Norenko, Cap. 1 rank Sergei Feoktistov from the N. G. Kuznetsov Naval Academy, and others.
The boat (HN: 01229) will be the ninth in a series of Navy vessels built at the Vympel Shipyard. Earlier, the shipyard delivered four boats of Project 21980 to the Northern Fleet and four more vessels for the naval units of the Russian National Guard.
The Grachonok class boat was designed for the Russian Navy’s fleet upgrade programme. The vessel is intended for combating sabotage and terrorist threats, underwater sabotage forces, to provide diving support to combat swimmers in the water area of the bases points and nearby approaches. The vessel is equipped with modern electronic weapons and the latest diving complex, which will allow detecting and inspection of underwater objects.
It is fitted with a state-of-the-art equipment for a wide range of tasks. The boat displacement: 138 tonnes; LOA: 31 meter; Beam: 9.5 meters; Max speed: 23 knots; Operational range: 200 miles; Endurance: 5 days; Complement – 8.
Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region based Vympel Shipbuilding Plant (Vimpel Shipyard, part of the Kalashnikov Concern) specializes in the construction of medium- and light-tonnage seagoing and river vessels and boats both for military and civil sectors. Since its inception in 1930, the company was built more than 30,000 ships of various types. Over the past 40 years, the shipbuilding company has delivered more than 1,800 boats to 29 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa and South America. Currently Vympel Shipyard is building serial combat missile / patrol boats of new generation, high-speed SAR boats, firefighting ships, hydrographic survey and fishing vessels, tugs and other dedicated fleet, providing warranty / maintenance service for its products.