The Indonesian defense company PT Pindad has officially launched the X18 Tank Boat to undergone the first trials on April 28, 2021. The X18 Tank Boat is an innovative, fast, stealthy, and highly maneuverable catamaran design that provides a stable weapons platform for close-in and long range direct fire support in normally inaccessible coastal and riverine Environments. The boat will be used to conduct sea, river, and coastal operations.
The X18 is armed with a Cockerill 3030 weapon station armed with one 30 mm automatic cannon which is mounted on the crew cabin. The main weapon system can be used during the day and night and is capable of firing the Cockerill Falarick 105 Gun Launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile (GLATGM) towards targets as far as 5000 meters away. The aiming system provides the operator with panoramic 360° vision, independently of the position of the turret. Once locked onto the target, the gun automatically aligns with the aiming system.
The Tank Boat can also be armed with a John Cockerill 3105 weapon station armed with a Cockerill 105mm HP Gun. Fully stabilized, accurate by day or night, and able to use a wide range of NATO standard 105mm ammunition, this weapon system directly engages a broad spectrum of targets at up to 5,000m range and indirectly engages targets to 10,000m range. The 105mm is also capable of firing the Cockerill Falarick 105 Gun Launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile (GLATGM).
Fitted with high performance MAN 1200hp diesel engines and a pair of MJP450 waterjet propulsors, the twin hull configuration has excellent sea keeping properties and the added advantage of shallow draft. Giving it the ability to execute beach and river landings and insert or extract squads of up to 20 Special Forces or Marines. The X18 Tank Boat has a crew of 6, and will also carry a High-speed Interdiction RIB for boarding and SEAL insertion.
