PTI,
Chennai, April 19. (PTI): Regarded as the fastest surface ship, a T-84 fast attack craft, was today inducted to the inventory of the Indian Navy by Vice-Admiral O P Bansal, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.
Commissioning the craft, Bansal said the T-84 would play a vital role in undertaking quick reaction patrol along the coast and it would also make it an ideal platform for conducting special operations, a defence release said here.
Admiral Sampath Pillai, Chairman, Goa Shipyard Ltd, the builders of the craft, said T-84 has been commissioned five and a half months ahead of its schedule. Two more such craft would be handed over to the Navy in 10 months time.
Vice Admiral J S Bedi, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition, Commodore T Hari and senior army and air force officers, besides representatives from some foreign missions were also present on the occasion.
T-84 would displace 60 tonnes and it has state-of-the- art sensors and a weapon suite of two 20mm Oerlikon guns, Typhoon fire control system, multi-senor stabilised integrated system with forward looking infra-red sensors and laser ranging that could see, locate and even range a man standing at two km on a pitch dark night.
The vessel will be used for special and shallow water operations, coastline defence through high speed patrol, interception, counter-insurgency and counter smuggling operations, the release said.
It will be under the operational control of Naval Officer in-charge, Tamil Nadu, commanded by Lt. Muthukrishnan.
