Padma-class patrol vessel

The "Padma" class is a class of patrol vessels of Bangladesh. The ships were constructed at the Khulna Shipyard, through a development program overseen and supported by the CSIC.
History.
Under a long-term modernization plan for its armed forces, the Government of Bangladesh decided to order arms from internal contractors. The first step taken was to order warships for the Bangladesh Navy from Khulna Shipyard. Khulna Shipyard signed the construction contract with the Bangladesh Navy on 2 May 2010 and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction on 5 March 2011. The first warship of this class, was launched on 8 October 2012 and commissioned into the Bangladesh Navy on 24 January 2013. The second patrol craft in the class, , was launched on 23 January 2013 and commissioned into the Bangladesh Navy on 29 August 2013. The other three ships , and were handed over to the Bangladesh Navy on 15 December 2013. These three ships were commissioned on 23 December 2013.
On 17 July 2016, Khulna Shipyard was awarded the contract for the construction of three patrol vessels for the Bangladesh Coast Guard. The ships were handed over to the Bangladesh Coast Guard on 20 June, 2019 and commissioned on 15 November 2020.
On 20 May 2019, Directorate General of Defense Purchase (DGDP) ordered further five units of the ships of this class for the Bangladesh Navy. Keel laying of the ships were done on 2 December 2019.
Design.
The launch of the indigenous warship paved the way for the Bangladesh Navy to soon deploy its own design. Built at the Khulna Shipyard, the design is an offshore patrol vessel that displaces 350 tonnes. The ships are long, with a beam of and a draught of . The ships can carry out missions lasting up to seven days at a time. They have a complement of 45 personnel with a top speed of .
Armament.
The first batch of ships are equipped with a pair of 37 mm naval guns and another pair of 20 mm anti-aircraft guns. Coast guard orders and second batch of navy ships carry one 30 mm Remote controlled Gun & one 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. All these ships can lay mines and can carry MANPADs.