Sri Lanka Navy exports nine homemade patrol craft to Nigeria

[Godman]

07
May
Sri Lanka Navy exports nine homemade patrol craft to Nigeria Featured
Published inLatest - Defence

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For the first time in history, Sri Lanka Navy has exported nine homemade patrol craft worth approximately US$ 4.2 million to Nigeria.

Winning one of the biggest defence contracts in Sri Lanka's naval history, the Navy sold six Arrow Boats and three Inshore Patrol Craft, built by the Inshore Patrol Craft Project of the Navy established at Welisara, to the Nigerian Government on Friday (May 06).


The Navy said the deal is a milestone in the annals of the force as this is the very first transaction, where the Navy was involved internationally to earn foreign exchange to the country.


The Nigerian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka S.U. Ahmed along with the dignitaries of the High Commission, the Director General Operation of the Sri Lanka Navy, Rear Admiral Dharmendra Wettewa and the Director General Engineering, Rear Admiral Nilantha Premasiri attended the historic occasion which saw the official handover of the vessels at its premises.


Sri Lanka Navy is the pioneer in the sphere of Arrow-class patrol boats and Wave Rider Craft which were developed through SLN"s Asymmetric Naval Warfare experience. Moreover the foreign navies and the sister services avidly seek the assistance of the Sri Lanka Navy in asymmetric warfare exercises/ training due to its world-wide fame achieved through the victories in sea battles through these Arrow-class patrol boats and Wave Riders.


The first prototypes of these Arrow boats were developed in 1994 by the Navy Special Boat Squadron (SBS) and have indigenously produced approximately 120 craft thus far. The fast small boat, armed with an autocannon or automatic grenade launcher as its primary weapon system and with multiple machine guns, is capable of achieving high speeds and is highly manoeuvrable, meeting the requirements of these units in small boat operations.


The Navy says it will continue to engage in this assignment ahead as it would boost the economic stabilization of the country through export earnings. The earnings of this USD 4.2 million will be utilized for the upgrading of the Inshore Patrol Craft Project of the Navy at Welisara and it is expected to lift the standards of the work station through advanced research and technical know-how in view of delivering quality output according to the international standards