The US Coast Guard has awarded four contracts totaling approximately $3.6 million to acquire Response Boat-Small testbeds, a move aimed at shaping future small vessel acquisitions.
The deals were signed with Birdon America of Denver, Washington-based Inventech Marine Solutions and SAFE Boats International, and Gravois Aluminum Boats, operating as Metal Shark in Louisiana.
Specifications require each hull to be 29 to 37 feet (9 to 11 meters) long and feature twin propulsion systems with an output of up to 600 horsepower.
Once delivered, the boats will be used to validate performance requirements, assess industry capabilities, and better understand the current marketplace.
The force added that the platforms’ assembly should reflect core coast guard needs in tasks such as maritime security, law enforcement, drug interdiction, search and rescue, resource protection, and navigation support.
Each company will supply one demonstrator boat within three months.
Coast Guard Boat Acquisition Program
The prototyping initiative is being conducted as part of the US Coast Guard’s larger Boat Acquisition Program, which sustains and procures platforms to expand support capabilities for primary mission ships.
Under that framework, the service is providing maintenance for a separate fleet of 370 small response boats it acquired between 2010 and 2019, as well as 174 medium response boats commissioned from 1973 to 2014.
The force is also working to reinforce the operability of its 47-foot (14-meter) Motor Lifeboat fleet, which has been deployed since the 1990s. Birdon is leading this effort, with up to 117 boats planned for upgrades to extend their life through 2047.
Simultaneously, the coast guard is in the process of acquiring three types of boats to complement its existing cutters.
Vessels selected within this scope are the 35-foot Long Range Interceptor II, the 26-foot (8-meter) Over the Horizon IV, and the 22-foot (7-meter) Cutter Boat Large.
