US Navy has ordered up to 35 11-meter Navy Special Warfare Rigid Inflatable Boats.

According to a contract published by the United States Department of Defense on October 1, 2021, United States Marine Inc., Gulfport, Mississippi, was awarded a $54,384,301 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for up to 35 11-meter Navy Special Warfare Rigid Inflatable Boats, trailers, accessories, spares, and other technical assistance.
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11-meter Navy Special Warfare Rigid Inflatable Boat. (Picture source USMI Boats)

The 11-meter Naval Special Warfare Rigid Inflatable Boats (11m NSW RIBs) are constructed of composites with an inflatable tube gunwale made of reinforced fabric. They can operate in heavy seas and winds of 45 knots. The 11m NSW RIB carries a crew of three and a SEAL element (eight passengers) in its Naval Special Warfare role and is used increasingly by Naval Expeditionary Warfare in a marine interdiction/visit board search and seizure (VBSS) role, organic to LPD 17-class ships, with a Navy crew of three and a Marine Corps boarding team. The Navy VBSS variant includes a lifting bail for launch and retrieval from LPD 17-class ships.

This contract combines purchases for the Coast Guard (23%) and foreign governments as assigned by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency in accordance with Building Partnership Capacity and Foreign Military Sales programs. The location of the work to be performed will be determined by individual task orders.

The primary role of the NSW RHIB is the insertion and extraction of Special Operations Forces (SOF), typically Navy SEALs. This may include insertion/extraction at the shoreline or the NSW RHIB may also be used to deliver SOF on Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO) such as Visit Board Search Seizure (VBSS).

Other roles include general patrol duties, coastal surveillance and resupply of SOF. A squad of 8 fully-equipped SEALs + SWCC crew can fit into a single NSW RHIB.

The 11 meter Naval Special Warfare RIB boat is powered by a Dual Caterpillar 3126 DITA, 6 in-line cylinder diesel, turbocharged, aftercooled engine. The boat has a length of 11 m, a beam of 3.2 and a displacement of 7,892 kg. She can reach a top speed of 40+ knots (64 km/h) with a maximum cruising range of 200 nautical miles (370 km).

The 11 meter Naval Special Warfare RIB boat is armed with M60 7.62mm machine gun, MK19 40mm, and M2 .50 cal. machine gun.