Navy commissions new fast attack ship

The Indian Navy on Monday commissioned highly maneuverable Fast Attack Craft INS Tarmugli, which will conduct patrolling and surveillance along the eastern coast.

Built for extended coastal and offshore surveillance and patrol and fitted with advanced engines, water jet propulsion and the latest communication equipment, the ship, named after an island in the Andaman group, is capable of operating in shallow waters at high speeds and is equipped with enhanced fire power.

Commissioned by Eastern Naval Command chief, Vice Admiral H.C.S. Bisht at a formal ceremony held at the Naval Dockyard, INS Tarmugli will be based here under the naval officer-in-charge, Andhra Pradesh and would be deployed for coastal patrol and surveillance operations along the east coast.

The ship, designed and built indigenously, is the first follow-on and improved version of Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC).

The 320-tonne vessel measures 48 meters in length, and can achieve a speeds in excess of 30 knots. It is manned by a team comprising four officers and 41 sailors with Commander Sreejith S Nair at the helm.

The boat's armament consists of a 30 mm CRN 91 gun manufactured by Ordnance Factory Medak.

An electronic day-night fire control system namely Stabilised Optronic Pedestal (SOP) manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) controls the gun. The ship is also equipped with two 12.7 mm heavy machine guns (HMG) and multiple medium machine guns, besides shoulder-launched Igla surface-to-air missiles to combat aerial threats.

--IANS

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