On July 29, 2024, PJSC "Vimpel Shipbuilding Plant" (part of JSC "United Shipbuilding Corporation") in Rybinsk in the Yaroslavl region launched one of the long-term projects of domestic shipbuilding - a large rocket boat project 12418 with factory number 01301. The boat intended for the Caspian Military Flotilla was named Stupinets, in honor of the missile boat project 12441T with the same name decommissioned in 2023 from the flotilla.
Launching of the Stupinets large missile boat project 12418 with factory number 01301, which is being completed for the Russian Navy at PJSC Vimpel Shipbuilding Plant. Rybinsk, 07/29/2024 (c) JSC United Shipbuilding Corporation
Recall that in April 2016, the Vimpel Shipbuilding Plant signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for the completion, modernization and repair of two unfinished large missile boats of export project 12421 (cipher "Lightning") with factory numbers 01301 and 01302 for the Russian Navy under project 12418. Under the terms of the contract, PJSC CMKB Almaz (St. Petersburg) adjusted the technical design to meet the requirements of the state customer. According to the contract, the lead upgraded missile boat with factory number 01301 "Vimpel" was to be handed over to the customer by November 25, 2018 for service in the Black Sea Fleet, and the second boat with factory number 01302 was to be delivered by November 25, 2019 for the Caspian Flotilla.
These two missile boats with factory numbers 01301 and 01302 were originally laid down in 1992 at the Vimpel shipyard under the export project 12421 with the Mosquito-E anti-ship missile system. Both boats were supposed to be exported, but customers for them have not been found and since the mid-1990s both boats have been unfinished (never launched) and they stayed at the factory.
The lead export missile boat of project 12421 (factory number 01300) was completed at the Vimpel plant by 2000 and transferred to the Russian Navy as the R-32, however, formally being part of the Russian Fleet, it was not actually put into combat and was in conservation due to attempts to sell it somewhere. Eventually, in August 2016, the R-32 boat was donated to Egypt.
As a result, after more than 20 years of rusting, it was decided to complete the two remaining hulls of Project 12421 for the Russian Navy in the version of Project 12418 equipped with the Uran anti-ship missile system. They were to become the first boats in the Russian Navy of the 12418 project, which had previously been built only for export. It should be noted that, according to available information, the main task of these two missile boats of the 12418 project, for which these boats were decided to be completed, should be to provide combat training for fleet forces using RM-24 target missiles launched from them based on the 3M24 anti-ship missile of the Uran missile complex.
In fact, the completion of both boats turned into another long-term construction due to the prolonged inability of JSC Zvezda to supply them with M-507 series mainline diesel engines. Ultimately, the first boat received these engines, which now allowed it to be launched 32 years after construction began. At the same time, in connection with the fighting on the Black Sea, the lead boat was listed as part of the Caspian Flotilla.
Launching of the Stupinets large missile boat project 12418 with factory number 01301, which is being completed for the Russian Navy at PJSC Vimpel Shipbuilding Plant. Rybinsk, 07/29/2024 (c) JSC United Shipbuilding Corporation and PJSC Vimpel Shipbuilding Plant
