The Cedric class, formerly known as Arrow class, is a series of fast patrol/assault
speed boat
A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine.
Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gea ...
s constructed by the
Sri Lanka Navy
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, image = Sri Lanka Naval Seal.png
, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of Sri Lanka Navy
, dates =
, c ...
for use by its
littoral
The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal a ...
warfare units, the elite
Special Boat Squadron (SBS) and the
Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS).
The boat is capable of achieving high speeds and is highly maneuverable, meeting the requirements of these units in
small boat operations
Small boat operations in military and naval warfare refers to operations in and around the littoral zone, within a certain distance of shore, carried out by small but fast and highly maneuverable craft. In recent years small unmanned systems have ...
. Armed with an
autocannon or
automatic grenade launcher An automatic grenade launcher (AGL) or grenade machine gun is a grenade launcher that is capable of fully automatic fire, and is typically loaded with either an ammunition belt or magazine.
These weapons are often mounted on vehicles or helicopt ...
as its primary weapon system and with multiple machine guns, the Arrow boats provides relatively high firepower despite its small size. It is also used by the navy for inshore monitoring operations.
History
The Arrow boat has been in service with the
Sri Lanka Navy
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, image = Sri Lanka Naval Seal.png
, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of Sri Lanka Navy
, dates =
, c ...
’s
Special Boat Squadron since its development
as part of the Inshore Patrol Craft Project. From mid 2008, it has also been issued to the newly created
Rapid Action Boat Squadron. The Arrow boat was widely used by the Sri Lanka Navy against the
LTTE’s
Sea Tigers
The Sea Tigers (Tamil: கடற்புலிகள் ''Kaţaṛpulikaḷ'') was the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the Sri Lankan Civil War. It was founded in 1984. The Sea Tigers had a number of small but effectiv ...
during the last phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War, known as the
Eelam War IV
Eelam War IV is the name given to the fourth phase of armed conflict between the Sri Lankan military and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Renewed hostilities began on the 26 July 2006, when Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets ...
.
The 100th Arrow boat was launched by the Sri Lanka Navy on 11 September 2008.
A ceremony was held at the navy base
SLNS Gemunu at
Welisara to mark this event, presided over by the Secretary of the Ministry of Defence,
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa
Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa ( si, නන්දසේන ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ; ta, நந்தசேன கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஷ; born 20 June 1949) is a former Sri Lankan military ...
.
In 2016, the boat was renamed in honor of Cedric Martenstyn, the Co-founder of the SBS and the lead designer of the boat.
Development
Designed under Commander Cedric Martenstyn according to the requirements of its elite unit, the Special Boats Squadron for a fast and maneuverable boat with high firepower, the navy developed the first prototype of the Arrow in 1994 and the boats were first used in combat in 2006. The navy produces the Arrow at a unit cost of Rs. 1.7 million (US$17,000).
Design
The Arrow boat is powered by a single outboard motor. Another variant of the boat, fitted with two outboard motors has also been developed. The hull is made of strengthened
fiberglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...
. The boat is 23.6 feet (7.2 m) long.
No armour is provided, with the intention of keeping the boat light enough to meet the primary requirements of speed and maneuverability.
Armament
A
23 mm caliber 23 mm caliber is a specific size of popular autocannon ammunition.
This ammunition size has not been widely used. Examples of armaments using it are:
* 23x115mm caliber, used on many Soviet and Russian airplanes
* 23x122mm
* 23x139mmSR
* ...
autocannon is installed as the primary weapon of the Arrow boat, mounted in the bow. In some variants, this is replaced by an automatic
grenade launcher,
secondary armament consists of several
PKM 7.62 mm
The 7.62 mm caliber is a nominal caliber used for a number of different cartridges. Historically, this class of cartridge was commonly known as .30 caliber, the imperial unit and customary unit equivalent, and was most commonly used for ...
machine guns mounted on each side of the boat.
Operators
* : Nine Arrow-class boats were exported to Nigeria in 2016 for the use of the
Nigerian Navy
The Nigerian Navy (NN) is a branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is among the largest navies on the African continent, consisting of several thousand personnel, including those of the Coast Guard.
History
The Nigerian Navy owes its origin t ...
in a deal worth USD 4.2 million.
*
*
References
{{Reflist
External links
Picture at Lanka Daily News
Ships of the Sri Lanka Navy
Patrol boat classes
Landing craft
Military boats