The US Coast Guard has recently taken a significant step in enhancing its operational capabilities by awarding four contracts amounting to approximately $3.6 million aimed at acquiring Response Boat-Small testbeds. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to refine future small vessel acquisitions that are crucial for various Coast Guard missions.
The contracts have been awarded to several prominent companies in the marine industry: Birdon America, based in Denver; Inventech Marine Solutions from Washington; SAFE Boats International; and Gravois Aluminum Boats, operating under the name Metal Shark in Louisiana. These industry partners are tasked with delivering custom-built demonstrator boats that comply with specific Coast Guard performance criteria.
Each of the boats is required to be between 29 and 37 feet in length and equipped with twin propulsion systems capable of generating up to 600 horsepower. Once these vessels are delivered, they will undergo rigorous performance testing aimed at validating the Coast Guard’s operational requirements while also helping assess industry capabilities and gaining insights into the current marketplace for small vessel technologies.
The Coast Guard emphasized that the design and assembly of these testbeds must align with its core operational needs, which encompass a wide range of tasks, including maritime security, law enforcement, drug interdiction, search and rescue missions, resource protection, and navigation support. Each of the selected companies is expected to provide a demonstrator boat within a three-month timeframe, laying the groundwork for future acquisitions.
This prototyping initiative is a vital component of the Coast Guard’s larger Boat Acquisition Program, which focuses on sustaining and procuring various platforms to bolster support capabilities for primary mission-centric vessels. In addition to these new acquisitions, the Coast Guard continues to maintain an existing fleet consisting of 370 small response boats, originally acquired between 2010 and 2019, and 174 medium response boats commissioned from 1973 to 2014.
Furthermore, efforts are underway to upgrade the Coast Guard’s fleet of 47-foot Motor Lifeboats, which have been in service since the 1990s. Birdon is spearheading this upgrade initiative, with plans to enhance up to 117 boats to extend their operational life through 2047.
In tandem with these developments, the Coast Guard is also in the process of acquiring three specific types of boats to complement its existing cutters. The new vessels include the 35-foot Long Range Interceptor II, the 26-foot Over the Horizon IV, and the 22-foot Cutter Boat Large, each designed to enhance the Coast Guard’s operational readiness and versatility in various maritime environments.
