Fast Attack Craft Full Speed Ahead

摘要

The term Fast Patrol Boat (FPB) has been described as small fighting vessels designed for missions in peripheral seas and offshore waters, armed with missiles and/or torpedoes plus guns, and capable of running at high speed. The generic term include the Fast Attack Craft or FAC, hundreds of which are in service today with naval forces worldwide. The concept of a small, nimble yet heavily-armed surface combatant, capable of punching well beyond its weight and reach, gained widespread acceptance from navies primarily concerned with coastal protection. Viewed by many as a cost-effective equaliser to more conventional blue-water naval forces, its appeal proved irresistible. Modern FACs, more than just descendants of the old agile torpedo gunboats, are a reliable, effective and capable platform, and well suited for littoral operations. This report briefly looks at recent developments.