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| Sri Lanka Navy |
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The4th Fast Attack Flotilla (akaDvora Squadron) is a force elementflotilla of theSri Lanka Navy. The flotilla's mission is to provide heavily armed and fast patrol boat (calledfast attack craft or FACs) capability to countersea tiger movements along the coast and to protect naval and civilian shipping fromsea tiger suicide crafts.
In 1985, the firstDvora-class fast patrol boats were introduced into the Sri Lanka Navy to counterLTTE gun running in thePalk Strait fromIndia. The 4th Fast Attack Squadron was formed on 14 September 1988 and became known as the Dvora Squadron. With escalation of theSri Lankan Civil War theSea Tigers began to pose a threat to the patrol boats of the Navy, with use of smallfibreglass boats armed withmachine guns. The flotilla was used as the primary offensive unit to counter these boats. When the Sea Tigers started to use boats for suicide bomber attacks on ships the unit was used for defensive operations too, such as escorting larger naval ships and civilian ships in coastal waters off the northern and eastern provinces of the country. Able to reach speeds of 45knots (83 km/h; 52 mph) thesefast attack craft (FACs) operate in pairs to counter sea tiger wolf pack tactics and also to defend each other against small suicide craft that try ram them. Between 1993 and 2009, twenty FAC have been sunk, becoming naval unit to suffer the highest number of casualties during the war.[1] In 2019, the 4th Fast Attack Squadron was commissioned as the 4th Fast Attack Flotilla.[2]
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Early Dvoras were armed with two to three machine guns as most patrol boats in other navies do. However, during the progress of the war the armament on board FACs were increased considerably due to the increase of arms carried on sea tiger boats that ranges from heavyanti-aircraft machine guns torocket launchers. All FACs haveTyphoon 25-30 mm stabilized cannon installed as their primary armament, which can be slaved to state-of the art mast-mounted, day and night all weather long range electro-optic systems. This enables FACs to locate and target sea tiger boats at a greater distance, in all weather at high speeds. Newer FACs, speciallyColombo-class series III FACs are equipped with Elop MSISoptronic director and Typhoon GFCS as its own weapons control system. Also these crafts use surface search Furuno FR 8250 or Corden Mk 2; I-band as itsradar.[3][4] In addition to their main armament they carry additional weapon systems such asDS30 30 mm twin gun,Oerlikon 30 mm twin cannon,Oerlikon 20 mm cannons,automatic grenade launchers,Type 80 machine guns,W85 heavy machine gun andType 63multiple rocket launchers, including 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns.[3] These act as both offensive and point defense weapons to protect the FAC from suicide craft, by destroying them before they could ram or explode close to the FAC. Therefore, compared with similar patrol boats of other navies,Sri Lanka Navy FACs are more heavily armed and faster.
The flotilla is based at SLN Dockyard,Trincomalee, however boats operate out of all major harbors. Individual units come under the direct command of theflag officer commanding that particular naval area it is assigned to.
The FAC Squadron Pin is award to:
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