The Hindu : Navy commissions fast attack craft

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 10, 2003

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Navy commissions fast attack craft

Mumbai Oct. 9 . The Navy commissioned an Israel-built ship, the fastest in its fleet, at a ceremony here today.

The Indian Naval Fast Attack Craft (INFAC T-82), built by the Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), was commissioned by the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command, Vice-Admiral Arun Prakash, at the Naval Dockyard in south Mumbai.

"With the commissioning of this craft, the Indian Navy's offensive and defensive capabilities at offshore and inshore areas will receive a big boost," he said, explaining that the craft had an enduring speed of 40 knots for 550 miles and its night-vision device could target adversaries from two km inshore.

Stealth and strike

The craft's motto is `Stealth and Strike'. It can be used in counter-insurgency, anti-smuggling, search and rescue operations too.

"Keeping in view the present security scenario, two stealth frigates INS Talwar and INS Trishul were inducted recently and with the commissioning of this fastest craft, the youngest combatant of the Navy, we have got the necessary punch," the Vice-Admiral said.

The Navy, which inducted two fast attack craft in 1998, is indigenously building two more at the Goa shipyard.

PTI

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