Key Highlights
- H-561, the inaugural domestically built air‑cushion vehicle, was commissioned into the Indian Coast Guard on 18 June 2026.
- Developed by Chowgule & Company at its Goa shipyard, it marks a tangible outcome of the ‘Make in India’ defence drive.
- The craft can travel at high speed over water, mudflats, beaches, marshes and estuaries, extending surveillance reach.
- Six such hovercraft have been ordered to modernise coastal monitoring and rapid‑response capabilities.
Detailed Insights
The Indian Coast Guard officially inducted the H‑561 hovercraft, an air‑cushion vehicle (ACV) engineered entirely within the country. Unlike conventional boats that rely on hull displacement, the ACV rides on a thin layer of pressurised air produced by lift fans, allowing it to glide seamlessly across both water and land surfaces. This dual‑terrain agility is critical for India’s 7,500 km coastline, which is riddled with mangroves, creeks, river mouths and shallow waters that thwart standard patrol vessels.
Chowgule & Company’s Goa facility fabricated the H‑561 to satisfy the Guard’s demand for swift, versatile platforms capable of operating at high speed over heterogeneous coastal environments. The hovercraft’s design emphasises rapid deployment, multi‑terrain mobility and extended operational reach, thereby strengthening the nation’s maritime security architecture while reducing reliance on foreign‑made equipment.
Key Concepts
- Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV): A craft that floats on a cushion of air generated by powerful fans, enabling travel over water, land, ice or mud.
- Make in India: Government initiative aimed at fostering indigenous manufacturing, especially in strategic sectors such as defence.
- Multi‑Terrain Mobility: The ability of a vehicle to transition effortlessly between different surface types without loss of speed or stability.