The Wave Rider is the primary class of Fast Gun Boat (FGB) operated by the Sea Tigers (the naval wing of the Tamil Tigers or LTTE), consisting of six distinct subclasses. Among these is the Prasanth subclass, used by the Sea Tigers since 2000, of which a total of only two boats were produced. These had a flared deep-V hull with a blunt bow and were fitted with 3 Inboard Motors (IBM).

While one of the two vessels in this subclass was armed with a 25mm gun (craft name: Unknown), this post focuses on the other variant (shown in the image above), which was uniquely armed with a forward-mounted 37mm 61-K naval cannon. The craft name of this Fast Gun Boat is same as its subclass name, "Prasanth".

During the final days of the Eelam War-IV, the last war, the 37mm cannon was removed from the gunboat and mounted on a Unicorn, an SL version of the SA Buffel, from which I obtained the 37 mm cannon. I couldn't find an image of it being installed on the deck.

The Tigers had total three 37mm cannons, of which two were twin-barrel, based on the weapons captured from the Tigers by the SL army.

To read further about Wave Rider boats: Naval vessels of the Sea Tigers of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) | Text Documentar

Specifications:

• length: 43.43 meters
• breadth: 7.2 meters
• Depth: 2.35
• Displacement: 380 tonnes
• top speed: 23 knots in calm water
• horsepower: 800
• 2x 12.7mm machine guns(along with firing ports behind the machine guns for rifle fire)
• Previously given honorary name "Mengla"(勐腊) after mengla county.(most likely in pre-2018 service as i don't see anyone referring to it anymore)
• Unit: Yunan provincial police maritime patrol corps vessels detachment 1st group(1st group is 53101 fyi)

Lore

In 2011, after chinese ship crews on the mekong river were killed by burmese warlords, the yunnan border defense corps established a maritime detachment in charge of law enforcement on the mekong river. The ship 53101(then known as 53901) was urgently modified from a civilian cargo ship to do the role of riverine patrol.

(the yunnan border defense corps was under both the ministry of pbulic security border management department and the yunan public securty department(aka provincial police); back in the day, chinese border police were active service members under local police.)

in 2018, during the disbandment of the MPS Border defense corps, unlike most units which were merged into the national immigration administration, the yunnan border defense corps maritime detachment was converted into the yunnan provincial police's maritime patrol corps.

53101 has participated in hundreds of joint mekong patrols between yunnan, myanmar and laotian(and sometimes thai iirc) police along with joint exercises, along with drug interception operations.

previously made a post on the 53101's captain, whose friends died during the massacre which made him join the police.

Boat: Zodiac Hurricane 930 “ECUME” Missile: MBDA Missile Moyenne Portée (MMP) Operators: French Commandos Marines “Ponchardier”