Tuuli-class hovercraft

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The Tuuli class combat hovercraft (ACV) is a type of vessel designed for the Finnish Navy.
The Tuuli class was also previously known as the T-2000 class. It takes its name from the decommissioned Tuima class (modified Soviet OSA-II) FNS Tuuli (14) missile boat. Its intended use was a mobile missile platform able to navigate and perform surprise attacks in the fractured archipelago of the northern Baltic sea. Since the surface often freezes over in the winter, parts of the archipelago cannot be navigated, and are accessible only by air or with a hovercraft. However, the focus of the Finnish navy was defined as long-term protection of merchant marine traffic, and missile boats with longer operating time were selected in Tuuli's stead.