The Riverine Combat Boat was introduced in 2007 and based a successful Swedish design. The boats are made locally for the United States Navy (USN) under license through SAFE Boats of Bremerton, Washington and form a fast-attack, fast-response arm for the service. The RCB is assigned to three Riverine Squadrons as part of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command and have seen extensive service in Persian Gulf waters to date (2016). There are six RCBs in service with the USN as part of the CB90-class.
The vessels exhibit sharp-angled lines and strong contours with draughts shallow enough to allow for operation very near the shoreline - an area where larger boats and warships cannot go. This makes the design useful in interception of enemy elements, fast assault of valued targets near the shoreline and supporting special forces missions by providing insertion/extraction services. Armor protection is rated up to 7.62mm weapons. Aboard, the crew can make use of several modern systems including thermal imaging, laser range-finding and stabilization.
The operating crew numbers five with space for an additional nineteen personnel. Dimensions include a length of 53, a beam of 12 feet and a draught of 3 feet - the latter quality utterly important for close-to-shore operations. Displacement is 22 tons. Power is from Swedish-originated Scania DSI14 V8 diesel engines developing 625 horsepower each and driving power to 2 x Kamewa FF waterjets. This arrangement propels the boat to speeds of over 40 knots and ranges out to 300 miles.
Despite their size, RCBs are well-armed across four positions located about the craft. Armament can be variable and a mix of 12.7mm Browning M2HB heavy machine guns, 7.62mm M240B medium machine guns, 40mm Mk 19 automatic grenade launchers and 7.62mm GAU-17 / 12.7mm GAU-19 miniguns. The boats are also set up to support the Israeli "Rafael" Mk 49 Remote Weapons Station (RWS) fitting a 0.50 caliber machine gun allowing operators to fire on the enemy from cover.
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.