CAR NICOBAR CLASS

Vessel Type: Water Jet Fast Attack Craft.

Future Commissions: Car Nicobar; Laid Down - Not Known, Launch - 23 November 2007, Commissioning - TBD.
............................Chetlat; Laid Down - Not Known, Launch - 27 November 2007, Commissioning - TBD.
*Eight more vessels are on order.

Displacement: Not Known.

Dimensions: Length - 48.90 metres.
................Moulded Depth - 4 metres.

Main Machinery: A water jet unit coupled with three engines, capable of producing 8,160 kw (11,238 hp) of power.

Maximum Speed: 35 knots.

Maximum Range: 2000 nautical miles at 12 - 14 knots.

Complement: Not Known.

Weapons: One 30mm gun fitted on the forepeak, which is the part of a ship's interior in the angle of the bow. The gun could possibly be the CRN-91 (naval version of the 2A42 30mm Medak gun), which is controlled by an electronic fire control system developed & jointly produced by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

Radar: Not Known.

Comments: These vessels are an improved version of the Fast Attack Craft (FAC) earlier constructed by GRSE (Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers) with a more efficient hull-form design and has been proven after extensive model testing to achieve speed in excess of 35 knots. These ships will stay close to the coastline and be used mainly for patrolling and rescue operations. Rear Admiral T S Ganeshan (Retd) - the Chairman & Managing Director of GRSE - stated, "The ships have submarine warfare capability and are not vulnerable themselves." This would indicate a sonar fit and anti-submarine warfare weaponry, such as torpedoes and anti-submarine rockets. The first vessel - Car Nicobar - has been named after the northernmost of the Nicobar Islands. The second vessel - Chetlat - has been named after the northernmost of the Lakshwadeep Islands and was launched by Mrs Beena Suthan, the wife of Vice Admiral Raman Prem Suthan - the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command.

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