Indian Coast Guard inducted its first indigenous Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV), designated H-561

Indian Coast Guard inducted its first indigenous Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV), designated H-561

¨     Indian Coast Guard inducted its first indigenous Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV), designated H-561, on 18 June 2026.

¨     H-561 was built at Chowgule & Company Private Limited’s shipyard in Goa.

¨     It is the first of six indigenous ACVs being constructed for the Indian Coast Guard.

¨     An Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV), or hovercraft, moves on a cushion of air created by fans or lift systems.

¨     ACVs can operate over shallow water, mudflats, beaches, marshy terrain, and other low-support surfaces.

¨     The Indian Coast Guard uses hovercraft for coastal surveillance, rapid response, search and rescue (SAR), and humanitarian assistance.

¨     ACVs are especially effective in littoral (coastal) areas, where conventional vessels face challenges due to shallow depth, sandbanks, and tidal variations.

¨     The six indigenous ACVs are being built under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative as part of the indigenous shipbuilding programme.

¨     The acquisition contract for these six hovercraft was signed between the Ministry of Defence and Chowgule & Company Private Limited on 24 October 2025. (The source mentions 2026, but this appears to be a typographical error since the first ACV was inducted in June 2026.)