F470 Zodiac

Combat Rubber Raiding Craft (CRRC)

United States | 2007

"The F470 Combat Rubber Raiding Craft provides a useful method of insertion-extraction for American special forces groups."

A crew has a little fun aboard their piece of government equipment, this being a CRRC

Authored By: JR Potts, AUS 173d AB and Dan Alex | Last Edited: 08/22/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

It comes to specialized vehicles such as the Zodiac Marine & Pool F470 Combat Rubber Raiding Craft (CRRC) to allow specialized waterborn elements such as the famous United States Navy SEALs or USMC RECON to do their job. CRRCs launch from submerged submarines or are air-dropped from helicopters or medium-lift transports with operators in tow, ready to begin their mission within seconds thanks to skillful planning and excellent execution. The relatively lightweight F470 is a completely evolutionary design as far as inflatable boats go - developed from the outset with multi-mission capabilities in mind while being able to accommodate various engine sizes and cargo loads as required.

The F470 features a high-pressure deck system built around a rigid aluminum deck which can support engine sizes up to a 55-horsepower. This is tied to a pump jet "propulsor" which is essentially a shrouded impeller instead of the conventional exposed propeller. The shrouded impeller provides several inherent benefits in its design, reducing the risk of injury to personnel in the water when the engine is running while also reducing the chance of damage to the propeller itself when nearing unseen underwater dangers such as rocks. The vessel also sports a tear-resistant Duratane "skin" along the floor for heavy duty abuse. The special deck design is lightweight and provides a stowed footprint of just 2'6" x 4'11" which provides the craft with an excellent top speed while allowing for additional gear to be brought along by its passengers. A single F470 can be inflated to its complete size within 2 minutes through pressurized air from a SCUBA tank - a quality certainly appreciated by fast-acting "frogmen".

The CRRC design makes use of eight airtight chambers of which five are connected in the main hull these being divided by internal baffles and valves. Such a design ensures that the vessel will not capsize due to a single breach of the hull. The additional chambers are set along the sides of the raft to allow for cushioned seating. High seas stability is made possible a Vee-shaped hull underside.

The CRRC can be used for both "blue" (open water) or "brown" (riverine) water missions and is fully-capable of transporting up to ten combat-ready Special Forces operatives onto beaches, to the edge of piers, under oil rigs or against stalled vessels as needed. The primary advantage of such a small and fast craft is its inherent stealthy nature, particularly when operated in low-light hours when the element of surprise is key to success. The F470 is also versatile enough that it can be used for MEDEVAC, light cargo transport and other roles beyond that of insertion and extraction. It is this multi-mission nature that earns the respect of water-born units such as the Navy SEALs.

An F470 is typically crewed by two coxswain personnel - one sitting at the stern and controlling the vessel during operation while the other maintains contact with other vessels. The rest of the onboard space is taken up by operators and their gear who take a low profile along the craft's sides. Missin gear is stowed about the open deck space. While possibly armed with a machine gun, the F470 is generally at the mercy of small arms fire from enemy positions - hence the critical nature of stealth required in such missions. The F470 no doubt remains a special craft for special infantry.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one sea-going vessel design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for F470 Zodiac.

1 x Outboard 2- or 4-stroke engine with pump jet propulsion delivering 55 horsepower.
Propulsion

18.0 kts
20.7 mph
Surface Speed

Structure
The bow-to-stern, port-to-starboard physical qualities of F470 Zodiac.

10
Personnel
Complement

15.6 ft
4.75 meters
O/A Length

6.2 ft
1.89 meters
Beam

2.0 ft
0.00 meters
Draught

1
tons
Displacement

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of F470 Zodiac.

1 x 7.62mm general purpose machine gun on pintle mount (optional).
Any crew-served or personal weapons pertaining to the mission at hand.

Ships-in-Class (900)
Notable series variants as part of the F470 Zodiac family line as relating to the Zodiac-type group.

Not Applicable.

Operators
Global operator(s) of the F470 Zodiac. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national naval warfare listing.

[ United States ]

1 / 10

A crew has a little fun aboard their piece of government equipment, this being a CRRC

2 / 10

Crewmem work on their CRRC

3 / 10

Soldiers propel along their CRRC in open waters

4 / 10

Infantrymen patrol aboard their CRRC; note soldier with M60E3 General Purpose Machine Gun at the bow

5 / 10

A pair of CRRCs and applicable crew at sea

6 / 10

Soldiers bring their CRRC to shore by hand

7 / 10

Soldiers aboard their CRRC; note M60E3 GPMG at the bow

8 / 10

Rear view of the CRRC showing engine detail and placement

9 / 10

High-angled left side view of a CRRC at speed

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Members of SEAL Team 5 aboard their CRRC at speed

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Going Further...
F470 Zodiac Combat Rubber Raiding Craft (CRRC) appears in the following collections:

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