Naval Systems

Grachonok-class anti-sabotage patrol boat (Project 21980)

Also known as
  • Grachonok-class patrol boat
  • Grachonok-class anti-saboteur ship
  • Project 21980
  • Project 21980 Grachonok

The Grachonok-class anti-sabotage patrol boat, Russian Project 21980, is a small Russian naval security craft designed by KB Vympel and built at several Russian shipyards to protect basing areas, ports, and critical maritime infrastructure. The class combines sonar and electro-optical surveillance with grenade launchers, a 14.5 mm heavy machine gun, and Igla MANPADS, making it a compact diver-hunting and harbor-defense platform.

Grachonok-class anti-sabotage patrol boat (Project 21980), Anti-sabotage patrol boat, Naval Systems
Image source: Катер проекта 21980 «Грачонок» в Рыбинске.jpg

Role in Conflicts

2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Force Protection
Side
Russia

Russian forces fielded Project 21980 Grachonok anti-sabotage boats for maritime force protection around the Kerch Bridge and naval basing areas; Ukrainian sources reported strikes on a Grachonok near the Kerch Strait on 29-30 April 2026 and near Kaspiysk on 17-18 May 2026.

Role details
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Russia
Type
Anti-sabotage patrol boat
Service note
2009-present
Designer
KB Vympel
Designed
2000s
Produced
2008-present
Number built
28 completed, with four additional units listed as building or planned by RussianShips.info in 2026

Specifications

Displacement
138.69 tonnes
Length
31.04 m
Beam
7.4 m
Draft
1.86 m
Crew
8
Speed
23 knots
Endurance
5 days
Range
200 nautical miles at 16 knots
Propulsion
2 diesel engines in a twin-shaft arrangement
Sensors
MR-231 Pal/PAL navigation radar, MTK-201M3 electro-optical television system, Kalmar sonar complex, and MG-757 Anapa-M anti-saboteur sonar
Armament
9K38 Igla MANPADS with 9M39 missiles, 14.5 mm MTPU-1 Zhalo heavy machine gun, DP-65A grenade launcher, DP-64 grenade launcher, diving chamber, and Falcon or Marlin-350 underwater remotely operated vehicle
Variants

Public references use Project 21980 for the in-service Russian boats and Project 21980E for an export-oriented modification.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Project 21980EExport-oriented special-purpose boat

RussianShips.info lists Project 21980E as an unrealized export variant rather than a separate in-service class.

Sources: Anti-saboteur boats - Project 21980

Carried Sensors And Weapons

Open naval references list Project 21980 boats with close-protection sensors and short-range defensive weapons for harbor and base security.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
MG-757 Anapa-M anti-saboteur sonar, Anti-saboteur sonar, Naval SystemsMG-757 Anapa-M anti-saboteur sonarAnti-saboteur sonar

KCHF.RU and RussianShips.info list MG-757 Anapa-M anti-saboteur sonar in the Project 21980 electronics fit.

Sources: Anti-Saboteur Boat P-350 - Project 21980 / Grachonok Class, Anti-saboteur boats - Project 21980

Igla, Man-portable infrared-homing surface-to-air missile system, Air DefenseIglaMan-portable air-defense missile

KCHF.RU and RussianShips.info list 9K38 Igla launchers with 9M39 missiles among the Project 21980 armament fit.

Sources: Anti-Saboteur Boat P-350 - Project 21980 / Grachonok Class, Anti-saboteur boats - Project 21980

Timeline

Grachonok-class anti-sabotage patrol boat (Project 21980) Key Events

  1. Series production begins

    Zelenodolsk Shipyard described Project 21980 anti-sabotage boats as being built for the Russian Navy from 2008 onward.

    Sources: Zelenodolsk Shipyard Project 21980 launch announcement

  2. Class enters service

    The class overview on Wikipedia lists the Grachonok class as in commission from 2009.

    Sources: Grachonok-class patrol boat

  3. Ninth boat launched

    Vympel reported the launch of a ninth Grachonok-class boat and said it was the fifth such boat the yard had built for the Ministry of Defense.

    Sources: Ninth Grachonok launched at Vympel

Media

Grachonok-class anti-sabotage patrol boat (Project 21980) Videos

Grachonok-class anti-sabotage patrol boat (Project 21980) Images

Grachonok-class anti-sabotage patrol boat (Project 21980), Anti-sabotage patrol boat, Naval Systems - view 1
Source: «П-351».jpg
Grachonok-class anti-sabotage patrol boat (Project 21980), Anti-sabotage patrol boat, Naval Systems - view 2
Source: Катер проекта 21980 «Грачонок» в Рыбинске.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
Project 1400M Grif / Zhuk-class patrol boat, Coastal patrol boat / border guard patrol craft, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsProject 1400M Grif / Zhuk-class patrol boatCoastal patrol boat / border guard patrol craftProject 1400M Grif is the updated Soviet Grif coastal patrol-boat design known in NATO reporting as the Zhuk class. Built for border-guard and coast-guard work, the small aluminium-hulled craft carries heavy machine-gun armament, simple navigation or surface-search radar, and enough speed for short-range littoral security rather than open-ocean combat. Ukrainian Sea Guard and Navy examples remained visible after independence, and several Project 1400M boats entered the Russia-Ukraine War record as captured or destroyed Ukrainian maritime-security craft in 2022.
Project 1204 Shmel / Shmel-class patrol boat, Armored patrol boat / river gunboat, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsProject 1204 Shmel / Shmel-class patrol boatArmored patrol boat / river gunboatThe Project 1204 Shmel class is a Soviet armored river gunboat family designed by Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau for shallow rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. It put a PT-76-derived 76 mm turret, a BM-14-17 rocket launcher, automatic cannon, machine guns, and mine rails on a compact shallow-draft hull, making it a fire-support and patrol craft rather than an oceangoing combatant. Russian Shmel boats were documented in the Kerch and Sea of Azov security context during the Russo-Ukrainian War, while Ukrainian Sea Guard Dzhmil examples survived in Danube-area service and training.
Island-class patrol boat, 110-foot coastal patrol boat, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsIsland-class patrol boat110-foot coastal patrol boatThe Island-class patrol boat is a Bollinger-built 110-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutter design based on a Vosper Thornycroft patrol-boat lineage and later transferred to partner navies. Ukraine received ex-U.S. Coast Guard hulls through a transfer pipeline that began before the 2022 invasion; Sloviansk and Starobilsk entered Ukrainian service in Odesa in 2019, and Sloviansk was later reported sunk during reconnaissance and port-protection missions in the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Sources

Project 21980E Special Purpose BoatPublisher: Vympel Shipyard | Note: Supports the official class description, Russian origin, project role, designer context, and basic displacement, length, and speed specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Anti-Saboteur Boat P-350 - Project 21980 / Grachonok ClassPublisher: KCHF.RU | Note: Supports the class role, dimensions, propulsion, endurance, sensors, armament, crew size, Russian Navy service context, and carried MG-757 Anapa-M and Igla relationships. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Anti-saboteur boats - Project 21980Publisher: RussianShips.info | Note: Supports production-count caveats, builder yard split, Project 21980E export-variant context, detailed dimensions, electronics, armament, and carried MG-757 Anapa-M and Igla relationships. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Grachonok-class patrol boatPublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Supports the class builders, operators, commissioning period, and broad class overview. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Zelenodolsk Shipyard Project 21980 launch announcementPublisher: Zelenodolsk Shipyard | Note: Supports the shipyard's Project 21980 production line and the statement that the class has been built for the Russian Navy since 2008. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Ninth Grachonok launched at VympelPublisher: Vympel Shipyard | Note: Supports the continuing production program and the statement that the ninth Grachonok-class boat had been launched in 2024. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Катер проекта 21980 «Грачонок» в Рыбинске.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports primary image provenance and the licensing context for a Grachonok-class photo. | Accessed: 2026-07-03«П-351».jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance and licensing context for a Grachonok-class boat photo. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Рыбинск. Катер специального назначения.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance and licensing context for a Rybinsk special-purpose boat photo; Commons metadata does not explicitly identify the class. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Ukrainian Navy strikes Russian boats guarding Kerch BridgePublisher: Ukrainska Pravda | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use: Ukrainian Navy reporting said Russian vessels protecting the Kerch Bridge near the Kerch Strait were struck on 29-30 April 2026, including the Grachonok anti-sabotage vessel. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Ukrainian Drone Strike Eliminates 9 Russian Troops on Patrol Boat Near Kerch BridgePublisher: UNITED24 Media | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use context: a Project 21980 Grachonok-class patrol boat was reported struck near the Kerch Bridge on 30 April 2026 while deployed to protect the bridge area. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Sobol and Grachonok Patrol Boats Struck Near the Kerch BridgePublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use and role context: Defense Express reported that Sobol and Grachonok boats assigned to protect the Kerch Bridge were struck by Ukrainian maritime drones and described the Grachonok underwater-detection role. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Ukraine strikes Russian anti-sabotage vessel in DagestanPublisher: Ukrainska Pravda | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use: Ukraine's General Staff reported that a Grachonok-class anti-sabotage vessel was struck near Kaspiysk on 17-18 May 2026 and described the vessel type as guarding naval basing points and countering sabotage forces. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Timeline of Ukraine Invasion: War In The Black SeaPublisher: Covert Shores | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use context for Ukrainian maritime drone attacks against Russian ships guarding the Kerch Bridge, including a Project 21980 Grachonok-class boat. | Accessed: 2026-07-03