The CCA mono-hull design is slightly larger than the current 11-meter NSW rigid-hull inflatable boat (RIB) and is credited with slightly greater capabilities. NSW plans call for divestiture of some of its NSW RIB inventory to obtain the crews to man the CCAs.
“But we’re never going to get rid of the RIB entirely,” he asserted. “We think it’s the right boat. It’s a workhorse in a lot of situations all around the world in different threat scenarios. And it’s been very successful.”
From a current total of 60 RIBs, projections show divestiture rates down to a fleet of 40 RIBs in FY 19, with proposed parallel divestiture of the supporting Maritime Craft Aerial Delivery System (MCADS).
A trailered Combatant Craft Medium Mark One (CCM Mk1). NAVSPECWARCOM photo
Depending on NSW abilities to purchase additional CCM platforms, potential longer-range RIB reductions could drop that fleet element even further – to 28 craft in FY 21 and 20 RIBs in FY 22 – although those longer-term RIB reduction plans remain tentative at this time.
The Combatant Craft Riverine (CCR) category of surface mobility assets encompasses the 33-foot Special Operations Craft-Riverine (SOC-R) from United States Marine Inc.
“But we’re never going to get rid of the RIB entirely,” he asserted. “We think it’s the right boat. It’s a workhorse in a lot of situations all around the world in different threat scenarios. And it’s been very successful.”
All 24 SOC-R platforms are currently based out of Special Boat Team 22 at Stennis Space Center, Miss. However, the NSW community is on a planned pathway to reduce its SOC-R capacity also and divert that manpower “to do other things.”
“We think that we’ve got to keep a SOC-R capability, but we are going to take a little bit of risk and decrease that capability slightly – putting some of the boats in ‘layup’ so they will be around if we need them – but then to direct that manpower toward some of these other things that are important for the community,” Carlson said.
A Special Operations Craft-Riverine (SOC-R) performs a crash-back maneuver during training along the Salt River in northern Kentucky. Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) attached to Special Boat Team 22 (SBT-22) based at Stennis Space Center, Miss., employ the SOC-R, a craft designed for the clandestine insertion and extraction of U.S. Navy SEALs and other special operations forces along shallow waterways and open water environments. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jayme Pastoric
The final element in the NSW surface fleet is the Security Force Assistance (SFA) craft, which is a commercial off-the-shelf boat that aligns with partner-nation craft and theater engagement strategies. The primary purpose of the SFAs is to train Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) in domestic settings. The boats are not normally intended to be rotationally deployable. However, Carlson acknowledged a planned near-term deployment of a single craft to support partnering activities in Africa.
The NSW inventory currently sits at 17 SFAs. Twelve of those are SFA-Small, a 25-foot craft built by SAFE Boat International, reflecting the results of a competitive down-select through Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). Delivery of five 38-foot SFA-Large craft, also built by SAFE Boat, is currently under way.