The Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS)(In

Sinhalese Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka * Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language ** Sinha ...

: "ක්ෂණික ක්‍රියාකාරී යාත්‍රා බලඝණය" ''Ksanika Vihidum Yathra Balaghanaya'') is a force element

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

of the

Sri Lanka Navy ta, இலங்கை கடற்படை , image = Sri Lanka Naval Seal.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of Sri Lanka Navy , dates = , c ...

that provides expertise 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 ...

in support of

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 areas ...

operations,

amphibious Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

and

riverine A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

activities. The unit is equipped with Inshore Patrol Crafts (IPC)s and Arrow speed boats that provide high degree of firepower along with high speed and maneuverability. The unit was formed in 2007 under a directive from the then commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda with Commodore

Rohan Amarasinghe Rear Admiral Anthony Rohan Amarasinghe, RSP, VSV, USP, psc, MNI, SLN was a distinguished Sri Lankan admiral and a Commissioned Naval Officer. He served as the Director of Naval Rapid Action Boat Squadron, Director Naval Operations, Com ...

as its first director to counter light fibreglass attack boats used by the

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 ...

in the coastal waters of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

during the Sri Lankan Civil War.Rapid Action Boats Squadron (RABS)
/ref> The unit also carried out amphibious raids on sea tigers coastal outposts. They operate with IPCs in groups of four craft with some groups totaling 25–30 craft combine to form IPC units, which are based at strategically important locations around the island. The IPC squadrons are organised for rapid-reaction interception operations, because the

Sea Tiger 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 ...

cadres were able to remain hidden until they decide to confront the SLN. To maximise the amount of firepower each squadron can bring to a battle, an IPC unit would speed towards the enemy using strategies that echo infantry tactics: an arrowhead formation is used to expand each boat's arc of fire in an attack manoeuvre, or boats are arranged in three adjacent columns in single file so as to mask their numbers and increase the SLN's element of surprise.Sri Lanka learns to counter Sea Tigers’ swarm tactics, JANE’S NAVY INTERNATIONAL
,

Jane's Information Group Jane's Information Group, now styled Janes, is a global open-source intelligence company specialising in military, national security, aerospace and transport topics, whose name derives from British author Fred T. Jane. History Jane's Informatio ...

References

External links

Sri Lanka Navy
Sri Lanka Navy squadrons Military units and formations established in 2008 {{Navy-stub

See also

References

External links