Coast Guard to buy six Hovercrafts made in India for the first time

MoD inks Rs 387.44 crore contract with Chowgule & Company Pvt. Ltd., Goa for six Air Cushion Vehicles for Indian Coast Guard

Defence Ministry has signed a deal with Goa-based EPC contractor Chowgule and Company to buy six Hovercrafts for Indian Coast Guard at a cost of Rs 387.44 crore.

These Hovercrafts will be manufactured in India for the very first time as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision, and is being seen as a pivotal step by the government in the shipping landscape. The project is expected to enhance the technical knowhow of the domestic MSME industry involved in this sector, supporting their growth, said the PIB release from the Ministry of Defence.

A Hovercraft has whole or significant part of its weight supported by a continuously generated cushion of air, hence they're also referred to as Air Cushion Vehicles (ACVs).

The Hovercrafts will boost the Indian Coast Guard's capabilities of maritime security, and will be deployed for multiple maritime roles such as high-speed coastal patrolling, reconnaissance, search and rescue as well as extending to assistance to ships & crafts in distress.

The Indian Coast Guard also has plans to purchase 12 Heavy Duty Air Cushion Vehicles (HDACVs), again for amphibious coastal patrolling and other related purposes.

Recently, The Coast Guard had deployed hovercrafts to carry out surveillance along the maritime boundary with Bangladesh, to ward off illegal influx into India, after the unrest that followed the the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ouster.