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Afast attack craft (FAC), sometimes referred to as a Patrol Torpedo Gunboat (PTG) or a Patrol Craft (PCG),[1] is a small, fast, agile, offensive, often affordablewarship armed withanti-ship missiles,gun ortorpedoes. FACs are usually operated in close proximity to land as they lack both theseakeeping and all-round defensive capabilities to survive inblue water. The size of the vessel also limits the fuel, stores and water supplies. Their displacements are usually under 700 tons, and they can reach speeds of 25+ knots or 46+ kph.[1]
A FAC's main advantage over other warship types is its affordability. Many FACs can be deployed at a relatively low cost, allowing a navy which is at a disadvantage to effectively defend itself against a larger adversary.[2] A small boat, when equipped with the same weapons as its larger counterpart, can pose a serious threat to even the largest of capital ships. Their major disadvantages are poor seagoing qualities, cramped quarters and poor defence against aerial threats.
As early as the mid-19th century, theJeune École'spoussiere navale theory called for a great number of small, agile vessels to break up invading fleets of larger vessels. The idea was first put into action in the 1870s with the steam-poweredtorpedo boats, which were produced in large numbers by both theRoyal Navy and theFrench Navy. These new vessels proved especially susceptible to rough seas and to have limited utility in scouting due to their short endurance and low bridges. The potential threat was entirely extinguished with the introduction of the Torpedo Boat Destroyer (TBD) in 1893, a larger vessel which evolved into the moderndestroyer. It could mount guns capable of destroying the torpedo boat before it was within range to use its own weapons.
The idea was revived shortly before World War I with the craft using new gasoline engines. Italy and Great Britain were at the forefront of this design, with theCoastal Motor Boat (CMB) and theMotobarca Armata Silurante (MAS) (Italian: "torpedo armed motorboat"). The outstanding achievement of the class was the sinking of the Austro-Hungarian battleshipSMS Szent István byMAS. 15 on 10 June 1918. The equivalent achievement for the CMBs was a lesser success; during theRussian Civil War CMBs attacked the Red Fleet at anchor at Kronstadt on 18 June 1919, sinking the cruiserPamiat Azova for the loss of four craft.
The design matured in the mid-1930s as themotor torpedo boats (MTBs) andmotor gunboat (MGBs) of the Royal Navy, thePT boats of the US Navy, and theE-boats (Schnellboote) of theKriegsmarine. All types saw extensive use duringWorld War II but were limited in effectiveness due to the increasing threat of aircraft; however, some successes were achieved in favourable conditions, as showcased by the crippling of the cruiserHMS Manchester (later scuttled), in the night of 13 August 1942, byItalian MS boats.
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After World War II, the use of this kind of craft steadily declined in the United States and Britain, despite the introduction of safer diesel engines to replace the highly flammable gasoline ones, although theSoviet Union still had large numbers of MGBs and MTBs in service.
With the development of theanti-ship missile, FACs were reborn in the Soviet Union as "missile boats" or "missile cutters". The first few missile boats were originally torpedo boats, with the torpedo tubes replaced by missile launchers. Again, small fast craft could attack and destroy a major warship. The idea was first tested by the Soviet Union which, in August 1957, produced theKomar class which mounted twoP-15 Termit missiles on a 25-metre (82 ft) hull with a top speed of around 40knots (74 km/h; 46 mph). Endurance was limited to 1,000nautical miles (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) and the vessels had supplies for only five days at sea. 110 Komar-class vessels were produced, while over 400 examples were built of the followingOsa class with a significant portion of the total being sold to pro-Soviet nations.
The first combat use of missile boats was an attack by two Egyptian Soviet-built Komar-class boats on the Israeli destroyerEilat on 20 October 1967, several months after theSix-Day War. The two boats launched a total of four P-15 missiles, three of which struck theEilat and sank her with the loss of 47 crew dead or missing and over 90 wounded.[3]
The Soviet FACs prompted aNATO response, which became more intense after the sinking ofEilat. The Germans and French worked together to produce a new FAC, resulting in theLa Combattante type, first commissioned in 1968. Built on a 47-or-49-metre (154 or 161 ft) hull with four MM-38Exocet missiles, a 76 mm gun forward and 40 mm twin guns aft, these vessels have a top speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph). Built until 1974, a total of 68La Combattante IIs were launched. The design was immediately followed by theLa Combattante III, and a great many other shipyards produced their own versions of the La Combattante type, including the Israeli Sa'ar/Reshef variants.
Size has also increased, some designs reaching up tocorvette size, 800 tonnes including ahelicopter, giving them extended modes of operation. While the IsraeliSa'ar 4-class missile boats, for example, had a 58 metre hull and 415-ton displacement, theSa'ar 5 is 85 metres in length and displaces 1,065 tons, and is officially rated as a corvette.
Iran and North Korea have some of the largest numbers of FACs in operation today. North Korea alone operates more than 300,[4] while Iran has been seen developing "swarm boats" to be used as harassing vessels in the heavily contested littoral waters of thePersian Gulf. To counter the threat, theUS Navy has been developing an ASUW Littoral Defensive Anti Surface Warfare doctrine, along with vessels such as thelittoral combat ship.
Algerian National Navy operates eightOsa-class.
Angolan Navy operates sixOsa-class
Argentine Navy operates twoIntrépida-class.
Azerbaijani Navy operates threeOsa-class
Bangladesh Navy operates fourHuangfeng-class.
Royal Brunei Navy operates twoFearless-class, 1Waspada-class, and 1Mustaed-class.
Chilean Navy operates threeSa'ar 4-class.
People's Liberation Army Navy operates 60Houbei-class, 18Houxin-class, and 5Houjian-class.
Croatian Navy operates 2Helsinki-class, 2Kralj-class, and 1Končar-class.
Cuban Revolutionary Navy operates sixOsa-class.
Ecuadorian Navy operates threeSeawolf-class.
Egyptian Navy operates 4Ezzat-class, 6October-class, 8Osa-class, 6Ramadan-class, 5Tiger-class, and 4Shanghai-class.
Eritrean Navy operates fiveOsa-class, all captured from Ethiopia.
Navy of Equatorial Guinea operates twoSa'ar 4-class.
Finnish Navy operates fourHamina-class and fourRauma-class.
Gabonese Navy operates thePresident El Hadj Omar Bongo.
Ghana Navy operates twoAlbatros-class and twoGepard-class, all purchased from Germany.
Hellenic Navy operates 7Roussen-class, 9La Combattante III-class, and 3La Combattante II-class.
Indian Navy operates 13Car Nicobar-class patrol vessel, 4Bangaram-class patrol vessel, 2Trinkat-class patrol vessel.
Indonesian Navy operates 8Clurit-class, 6Sampari-class, 3Mandau-class, 1Klewang-class, and 2Waspada-class.
Islamic Republic of Iran Navy operates 10La Combattante II-class and 5Sina-class.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy operates 10Tondar-class, 5C 14-class, 25Peykaap II-class, 6Peykaap III-class and Shahid Rouhi fast attack craft, whilst theIslamic Republic of Iran Navy operatesKaman andSina classes of fast attack crafts.
Israeli Navy operates eightSa'ar 4.5-class.
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force operates sixHayabusa-classes.
Kazakh Naval Forces operates fourKazakhstan-class and a singleMangistau-class.
Kenya Navy operates twoNyayo-class, and oneMadaraka-class.
Korean People's Navy operates 7Nongo-class, 10Osa-class, 6Komar-class, and 4Huangfeng-class.
Republic of Korea Navy operates 30Yoon Youngha-class.
Kuwait Navy operates 8Um Al Maradim-class, a singleIstiqlal-class, and a singleAl Sanbouk-class.
Libyan Navy operates a singleLa Combattante II-class.
Mexican Navy operates twoSa'ar 4.5-class.
Montenegrin Navy operates twoKončar-class.
Royal Moroccan Navy operates fourLazaga-class.
Myanmar Navy operates 249m-class, 205 Series-class, and 6Houxin-class.
Nigerian Navy operates threeLa Combattante III-class and threeLuerssen FPB57-class.
Pakistan Navy operates twoJalalat-class and twoJurrat-class.
Philippine Navy operates 8Acero-class Fast Attack Interdiction Craft (FAIC) and 12Multipurpose Assault Craft (MPAC)
Polish Navy operates threeOrkan-class.
South African Navy operates a singleWarrior-class.
Sri Lanka Navy operates fourDvora-class and twoSa'ar 4-class.
Qatari Emiri Navy operates 3La Combattante III-class and 4Barzan-class
Romanian Naval Forces operates threeOsa-class.
Syrian Navy operates 16Osa-class.
Republic of China Navy operates 31Kuang Hua VI-class.
Tunisian National Navy operates 6Albatros-class, 3La Combattante III-class, 3Bizerte-class, and 5Shanghai-class.
Turkish Navy operates 9Kılıç-class, 2Yildiz-class, 3Doğan-class, and 4Rüzgar-class.
Turkmen Naval Forces operates sixFAC 33-class.
Ukrainian Navy operates a singleMatka-class.
United Arab Emirates Navy operates sixBan-Yas-class and twoMubarraz-class.
Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela operates sixConstitución-class.
Vietnam People's Navy operates eightOsa-class and a singleBPS-500-class.