USCG receives and commissions new FRCs
The US Coast Guard (USCG) commissioned its 31st fast response cutter (FRC), Terrell Horne, in San Pedro, California on 22 March.
The cutter is the third of four planned FRCs to be stationed in San Pedro.
The USCG also received its 33rd FRC, Joseph Doyle, in Key West, Florida, on 21 March. It will be the seventh FRC stationed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and will be commissioned in June 2019.
Each 154ft FRC features advanced C4ISR equipment; over-the-horizon boat deployment capability to reach vessels of interest; and improved habitability and seakeeping. The FRCs can reach a maximum speed of more than 28kt and have an endurance of at least five days.
FRCs are replacing the 1980s-era Island-class 110ft patrol boats and have been designed for multiple missions, including drug and migrant interdictions; ports, waterways and coastal security, fishery patrols, SAR, and national defence.
The coast guard has ordered 50 cutters to date.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![US Navy’s MUSV programme could lay the USV procurement blueprint for NATO allies]()
US Navy’s MUSV programme could lay the USV procurement blueprint for NATO allies
The programme’s structure as a marketplace will allow multiple companies to compete for ongoing procurements; an approach which could be replicated across the Atlantic.
-
![UK Defence Investment Plan: What does it mean for the country’s naval forces?]()
UK Defence Investment Plan: What does it mean for the country’s naval forces?
Investment in nuclear submarines, autonomous systems and stronger defensive capabilities for existing vessels show a clear strategic shift in Royal Navy priorities.
-
![UK Royal Navy shifts focus from warships to system-led warfare]()
UK Royal Navy shifts focus from warships to system-led warfare
With a revised Defence Investment Plan on the way ahead of the upcoming NATO Summit on 7-8 July, the UK government has begun to reveal more details of how its future naval fleet could look.
-
![UK’s Type 31 frigate balances cost pressure with long-term export ambition]()
UK’s Type 31 frigate balances cost pressure with long-term export ambition
The UK shipbuilder’s full-year results to the end of March revealed the impact of the £140 million charge linked to design changes and rework on the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate programme.
