The Indian Navy has commissioned three immediate support vessels (ISVs) for the 84th ISV Squadron in the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.
The new vessels, designated as T-38, T-39 and T-40, will join the first batch of ISVs that were commissioned in June last year.
Indian Navy vice-admiral Satish Soni said: "These ISVs were brought to Naval Dockyard Mumbai where delivery acceptance trials were carried out.
"These ships have sailed 1,200nm from Mumbai to Visakhapatnam over a duration of 12 days before getting commissioned at the Eastern Naval Command."
The vessels are each powered by two 1,600hp caterpillar engines that provide water-jet propulsion, producing a high-speed of 40k, with an endurance of 500nm.
Two of the ships were built by Rodman Spain, and the Abu Dhabi Ship Builders (ADSB) built one of the ISVs.
Equipped with heavy machine guns (HMGs) and advanced radar and navigation equipment, the new vessels can carry out day and night surveillance, as well as for rapid insertions/extraction of MARCOS for military intervention.
With the three new ships, the Eastern Naval Command now has its full complement of six ISVs, two of these vessels will patrol the nation’s assets in offshore development areas off Kakinada, reported The Hindu.
The induction and deployment of these new ships will make the Indian Navy better equipped to bolster coastal security and to protect the country’s offshore assets from asymmetric threats.
Image: The three immediate support vessels T-38, T-39 and T-40 during commissioning at Visakhapatnam. Photo: courtesy of the Indian Navy.
