Mangalore, Feb 14: Beachgoers at Panambur on the outskirts of the city had their peace and tranquility disturbed by a "terrible roar" on Friday as a mighty military hovercraft landed on the sea-shore.
Commanded by Commandant Sandeep Safaya, the Indian Coast Guard's hovercraft will be stay in Mangalore till February 19, as part of the measures to strengthen coastal security in the region.
Air Cushion Vessels H-194, the eighth of the series of 12 Air Cushion Vehicles (ACVs), designed and built by M/s Griffon Hoverworks Limited (GHL), United Kingdom, is capable of moving on land as well as sea.
The ACV, which visited Karwar earlier this week, has a complement of 13 personnel which includes two officers and eleven personnel of other ranks.
Rajender Singh Sapal, commandant, District Operations and Plans Officer, stated the 21 metre long ACV with 31 tons displacement can achieve a maximum speed of 45 knots. It is capable of undertaking multifarious tasks such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue and rendering assistance to small boats/crafts.
The craft Areas inaccessible from both sea and land can be approached by hovercraft. The craft operates by skimming over the surface of the water using a cushion of air created by two propellers fitted on top of the craft.
It was commissioned at Mumbai by Inspector General SPS Basra, Commander Coast Guard Region (West) on December 23, 2013. The ACV is fully armed with heavy machine guns and latest state of the art communication and navigation equipment including radar and worldwide satellite communication.
Comments
Add new comment