📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ministry of Defence
Defence
Two New Coast Guard Hovercrafts Arrive in West Bengal
✍️ Deccan Chronicle
🗓 10 Nov 2026, 01:17 AM
👁 19
The Indian Coast Guard has commissioned two hovercrafts for operations in West Bengal, enhancing its maritime patrol capabilities.
The Indian Coast Guard announced the induction of two hovercrafts to be stationed in West Bengal. These vessels are built for shallow‑water and estuarine environments, allowing rapid deployment along the state’s coastline and riverine channels.
The hovercrafts will operate from a coastal base in West Bengal, where they are expected to augment surveillance, search‑and‑rescue and anti‑smuggling missions in the Bay of Bengal region.
Their addition is part of the Coast Guard’s ongoing modernization drive aimed at strengthening maritime security in Indian waters. Officials indicated that the new platforms will improve response times in areas where conventional ships face draft constraints.
Further technical details have not been disclosed, but the deployment underscores the service’s focus on versatile, fast‑moving assets for coastal protection.
The hovercrafts will operate from a coastal base in West Bengal, where they are expected to augment surveillance, search‑and‑rescue and anti‑smuggling missions in the Bay of Bengal region.
Their addition is part of the Coast Guard’s ongoing modernization drive aimed at strengthening maritime security in Indian waters. Officials indicated that the new platforms will improve response times in areas where conventional ships face draft constraints.
Further technical details have not been disclosed, but the deployment underscores the service’s focus on versatile, fast‑moving assets for coastal protection.