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Fast Interceptor Craft
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Fast Interceptor Craft

Indian Navy fast patrol boat type used for coastal security and reconnaissance

Accurate Industrial Controls plans to convert a 13m Indian Navy Fast Interceptor Craft into an uncrewed surface vessel, using collision-avoidance software the Indian Register of Shipping certified, Marine Technology News reported on 14 September 2026.

Last refreshed: 7 October 2026

Timeline for Fast Interceptor Craft

#13 14 Sept

Indian Register clears navy USV software

Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea
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Background

Fast Interceptor Craft are small, fast patrol boats that the Indian Navy began inducting in 2011 to strengthen coastal security after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. They serve with the Sagar Prahari Bal, the navy's coastal security force, on coastal patrol and reconnaissance.

The type name covers boats from more than one builder. Early boats came from a French builder, and 80 more were ordered from Solas Lanka of Sri Lanka, with speeds of 45 to 50 knots and crews of four or five.

Within the Indian Navy, a Fast Interceptor Craft now heads the queue for uncrewed conversion. Accurate Industrial Controls plans to convert a 13m craft as the first phase of a six-vessel contract signed in 2022, after the Indian Register of Shipping certified its ISACA collision-avoidance software following 2,500 hours of trials. A small coastal hull is a low-risk test bed: if the conversion works, the same approach could extend to the wider patrol fleet.

Key Issues
Uncrewed conversion

A 13m interceptor loses its crew

Accurate Industrial Controls plans to convert a 13m Fast Interceptor Craft into an uncrewed surface vessel, the first phase of a six-vessel Indian Navy contract signed in 2022. The first three conversions are the interceptor and two 23m support craft.

The conversion rests on ISACA, the company's collision-avoidance software. The Indian Register of Shipping signed it off against International Maritime Organization rules once the software had cleared five audited stages and logged 2,500 trial hours at SEA and on rivers, according to a 14 September 2026 report in Marine Technology News. For a type built for crewed coastal patrol, it is the first planned move to robot operation, and a small, fast coastal hull carries less risk than a larger warship would.

Common Questions
What is an Indian Navy Fast Interceptor Craft?
A small, lightly armed fast patrol boat used for coastal security and reconnaissance, introduced after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.Source: https://stratpost.com/navy-inducts-interceptor-boats/
Is the Indian Navy converting patrol boats into drones?
Yes. Accurate Industrial Controls is converting six boats, starting with a 13m Fast Interceptor Craft and two 23m Immediate Support Vessels.Source: https://www.marinetechnologynews.com/news/accurate-industrial-controls-convert-665993
Who operates Fast Interceptor Craft in India?
The Indian Navy's Sagar Prahari Bal coastal security force.Source: https://stratpost.com/navy-inducts-interceptor-boats/
Source Material