The Cedric class, formerly known as Arrow class, is a series of fast patrol/assault speed boats constructed by the Sri Lanka Navy for use by its littoral warfare units, the elite Special Boat Squadron (SBS) and the Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS).[1]
The boat is capable of achieving high speeds and is highly maneuverable, meeting the requirements of these units in small boat operations. Armed with a high caliber gun or automatic grenade launcher as its primary weapon system and with multiple machine guns, the Arrow boats provides relatively high firepower despite its small size. It is also used by the navy for inshore monitoring operations.
The Arrow boat has been in service with the Sri Lanka Navy’s Special Boat Squadron since its development[2] as part of the Inshore Patrol Craft Project.[3] From mid 2008, it has also been issued to the newly created Rapid Action Boat Squadron. The Arrow boat was widely used by the Sri Lanka Navy against the LTTE’s Sea Tigers during the last phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War, known as the Eelam War IV.
The 100th Arrow boat was launched by the Sri Lanka Navy on 11 September 2008.[4] A ceremony was held at the navy base SLNS Gemunu at Welisara to mark this event, presided over by the Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
These boats (of 16 foot and 23 foot long) were initially used by the Sea Tigers during the sea battles against Sri Lankan Navy.[5] In 2006, the navy located a Sea Tigers boat manufacturing yard in Trincomale, during a SBS operation, led by LCDR Mudiyanselage Bandula Dissanayake. The LTTE had been manufacturing the 16-foot boats where, which had been used by the Sea Tigers in their wolf-pack attacks. The SBS team found a boat buried in the ground and transported it to the Navy dockyard at Trincomalee. There the navy engineers reverse-engineered a version of this boat, which became the SLN’s first 16-foot Arrow Boat and went in to service that year. With the guidance and encouragement of then-SLN Commander VADM Wasantha Karannagoda, Navy engineers continued to experiment with different configurations of this base model. The SBS also developed a specific tactical formation for using these Arrow Boats, the Rapid Action Boat Squadron.[6]
The navy produces the Arrow at a unit cost of Rs. 1.7 million (US$17,000).[7] [8] [9]
The Arrow boat is powered by a single 200bhp outboard motor. Another variant of the boat, fitted with two outboard motors has also been developed. The hull is made of strengthened fiberglass. The boat is 23.6 feet (7.2 m) long.[10] No armour is provided, with the intention of keeping the boat light enough to meet the primary requirements of speed and maneuverability.
The experiments yielded two more versions of the Arrow Boat, the 18-footer and the highly successful 23-foot model, which went into mass production. The 23-footer was crewed by four people: a coxswain, main gunner, stern gunner, and side gunner.[6]
23 foot, the mass produced one, could be fitted with a 12.7 mm, 23 mm, or 30 mm main gun (some even were equipped with twin cannon versions); a 12.7 mm or automatic grenade launcher stern gun; and two 7.62 mm Chinese multi-purpose machine guns at the sides. Powered by two 250-horsepower engines, the boat boasted speeds of up to 35 knots.[6]
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