Indian Navy To Conduct Sea Trial Of Its First Indigenous Fast Interceptor Boat In Goa Tomorrow

The Indian Navy is all set to conduct the maiden sea trial of its first indigenous Autonomous Fast Interceptor Boat (A-FIB) from Goa to Mumbai between May 18 and 22.

New Delhi: The Indian Navy is all set to conduct the maiden sea trial of its first indigenous Autonomous Fast Interceptor Boat (A-FIB) from Goa to Mumbai between May 18 and 22, a Naval spokesperson said on Wednesday, reported news agency PTI.

The spokesperson said, "Continuing with the impetus for indigenisation, 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and with the aim to harness cutting edge technologies for maritime capabilities, an Autonomous Fast Interceptor Boat (A-FIB) is capable of autonomous operation in dense maritime traffic."

The boat will be flagged off from Vasco on Thursday morning, according to PTI.

The agency reported that the A-FIB has been jointly developed by Indian Navy's Weapons and Electronics Systems Engineering Establishment (WESEE) and M/s BEL(Bg) under Technology Incubation Forum (TIF).

The boat will undergo endurance trials and will cast off from Goa on May 18 for Mumbai, the spokesperson added. 

On Sunday, a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired from the Indian Navy’s frontline guided missile destroyer INS Mormugao.

“INS Mormugao, the latest guided-missile destroyer, successfully hit ‘bulls eye’ during her maiden BrahMos supersonic cruise missile firing,” a Navy official said.

“The ship and her potent weapon, both indigenous, mark another shining symbol of ‘AatmaNirbharta’ and Indian Navy’s firepower at sea,” the official added.

According to PTI, BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd, an India-Russian joint venture, produces supersonic cruise missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.

BrahMos missile flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach or almost three times the speed of sound. India is also exporting BrahMos missiles.

In January last year, India sealed a USD 375 million deal with the Philippines for supplying three batteries for the missile. 

Last month, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy successfully conducted a sea-based endo-atmospheric interceptor missile maiden flight trial off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal.

The purpose of the trial, according to the defence ministry, was to engage and neutralise a hostile ballistic missile threat, thereby elevating India into the elite club of nations with Naval Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) capability.