The commissioning of fourth and fifth hovercraft marked a red-letter day in the annals of Coast Guard. As per the Coast Guard Development Plan, six hovercraft are to be inducted into service during 1997-2002. The first three craft have already been commissioned and are deployed at Haldia, West Bengal. The first of its series, H-181, has already proved her worth by saving 30 Vietnamese lives aboard MV Lucnam which sank off Sand Heads on July 10 last year.

The fourth and fifth hovercraft, christened H-184 and H-185, were commissioned by Mr Yogendra Narain, Defence Secretary, Govt of India at GRSE, Kolkata. Vice Admiral OP Bansal, Director General, Coast Guard, Cmde RS Vasan, Commander Coast Guard Region (East), Rear Admiral R Parlikar (Retd), Chairman-cum-Managing Director and other military and civil dignitaries attended the function.

The light displacement of 20 tons with a maximum length of 21.15 metres and top speed of 50 knots (92 kms/hr) make these hovercraft the only machines capable of patrolling shallow waters, mud flats, back waters, rivers and marshy land to intercept smugglers, militants, drugs and arm traffickers. This capability of the craft gives it a unique advantage for carrying out amphibious operations. The shallow water operability and fast speed of craft entail quick response to search and rescue calls received from distressed vessels at sea and also, protects the Coast Guard personnel while they are in peril at sea. The craft is armed with 12.7 mm automatic machine gun with maximum range of fire up to 6 kms and a rate of fire of about 100 rounds per minute.