Naval Patrol Craft of the World (Less than 400 tons)

navyreco said:

U.S. Navy Coastal Riverine Group 2 Accepts the First Two of Twelve MK VI Patrol Boats

U.S. Navy Coastal Riverine Group 2 has taken ownership of the first two of 12 Mark VI Patrol Boats, in Portsmouth, Sept. 8. The MK VI, an 85-foot combatant craft, will provide a persistent capability to patrol shallow littoral areas for the purpose of force protection of friendly and coalition forces as well as critical infrastructure.

Click to expand...

I know the first of these vessels was delivered to the US Navy in August 2014. This was the initial order of ten, and they were declared operational in the spring of this year. More recently the Navy ordered more. I believe a total of twelve may have already been delivered.

This is the first class of fast, riverine/coastal patrol boats built for the US Navy since the 1980s, and the U.S. Navy plans to purchase up to 48 of these Mark VI patrol boats.

The interior of these vessels/boats is spacious, with berthing for the crew and shock-absorbing seats for other occupants. They are fully networked with a command, control, communication and computing, surveillance and intelligence (C4SI) suite for enhanced situational awareness, survivability, and multi-mission support, which includes flat screen monitors mounted throughout the vessels, including at the stations/seats for the special operations personnel.

Payloads are configurable to fulfill missions ranging from mine hunting to defending against swarming small/fast boat attacks.

Standard armament consists of two remote-controlled Mk 38 Mod 2 25 mm chain guns and six crewed M2 .50 caliber machine guns. But, depending on mission needs, gun mounts can include M240 machine guns, M134 miniguns, and Mk 19 grenade launchers. They are also planning to the BGM-176B Griffin missile I believe.

The main cabin can house Navy SEAL operators or medical personnel and their equipment. The rear deck and stern can launch and recover small boats, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs).

Finally, they can transported and deployed by larger Navy ships such LHDs (Landing Helicopter Docks), LPDs (Landing Platform Docks), and LSDs (Landing Ship Docks) which allows them to be carried and deployed anywhere in the world.

Specifications include:

Displacement: 72 tons
Length: 82 ft.
Beam: 22 ft.
Draft: 4 ft.
Speed: 45 knots
Crew: 10
Embarked forces: 8-10 personnel
Range: 700 nmi at 30 knots
Armament:
- 2 x Mk 38 Mod 2 25mm chain guns
- 1 x BGM-76B Griffin Missile launcher (Optional)
- 6 x .50 cal machine guns
- 2 x 7.62 mm M134 mini-guns/M240 mchine guns
- 2 x 40mm Mk19 grenade launchers (Optional)

A couple of earlier pics as they were being evaluated, tested, and policies worked up:

Glad to see them being officially deployed to the Coastal Riverine Groups now.

The Cyclone class patrol boats are decent smaller patrol boats and very well armed:











So...

02 x 25mm cannons
08 x .50 cal. machine guns
08 x Griffin anti-surface missiles
12 x Stinger anti-air missiles

The US Navy has fourteen of these vessels.