Designed for quick response and important situational awareness for littoral missions such as counter-piracy, illegal fishing, anti-drug trafficking, the MILKOR interceptor stands out for its large dedication to UAV mission.
First and most notable is the presence of a large helipad, or rather a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pad, on top of a hangar which extends over a large part of the ship. This can accommodate a UAV with a wingspan of up to 3.5m. The purpose of such large deck mentioned by the company is the necessity to have a UAV large enough for gathering information or carrying out a mission beyond the horizon, whatever it might be. The piloting center takes its place within the bridge next to the navigation systems and consoles.
The presence of such large pad explains mainly its size, but it was also to gain in stability and have the space to fit all the equipment that the interceptor requires to perform its missions. However to keep its function of interception vessel, MILKOR made the choice to power it by 3 water-jets, 2 of which are used to propel the vessel at cruise speed and the third to reach the 55-knot speed that the vessel is capable to operate to intercept its target.
To face surface and close-range air threats, the vessel is equipped with one 12.7mm remote machine gun place on top of the bridge and with two heavy modular weapon systems – at NAVDEX, they showcased it with two rocket launchers – or any other suite of sensors. At the stern of the boat, a ramp allows the presence of one small RIB.
According to a MILKOR’s spokesperson, this ship is entering in production in a UAE shipyard. However, the presence of a customer behind this project remains unclear.
Technical specification:
- length: 30m
- Beam: 6.8m
- Displacement: 90 tons
- Crew: 12
- Cruise speed: 35 knots
- Max speed: 55 knots
- Range at cruise speed: 1000 NM
