USCG receives seventh NSC
The US Coast Guard received its seventh National Security Cutter (NSC), Kimball, in Pascagoula, Mississippi on 19 September.
Kimball is scheduled for commissioning at its Honolulu homeport in January 2019 and will be the first NSC to be stationed there.
The NSCs feature advanced C4ISR equipment; aviation support facilities; and stern cutter boat launch. The 418ft cutters have an endurance of 60 to 90 days and can serve as operational-level headquarters for complex law-enforcement, defence and national security missions involving coast guard and multiple partner agency participation.
The NSCs will be replacing the 378ft high-endurance cutters of the 1960s-era.
A total of six NSCs are currently in service. Coast Guard cutters Hamilton and James are stationed in Charleston, South Carolina and cutters Bertholf, Waesche, Stratton and Munro are stationed in Alameda, California. Midgett, the eighth cutter, is planned for a 2019 delivery; it will be the second NSC stationed in Honolulu. The ninth cutter, Stone, is slated for delivery in 2021. The coast guard awarded a contract in March 2018 for long lead time materials for the tenth NSC.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Global submarine suppliers compete for a rapidly shrinking market]()
Global submarine suppliers compete for a rapidly shrinking market
Diminishing submarine competitions worldwide are leaving fewer acquisition opportunities, pushing contractors toward alternatives.
-
![Future frigate programme highlights broader RNZN replacement challenge]()
Future frigate programme highlights broader RNZN replacement challenge
New Zealand’s evaluation of the Mogami and Arrowhead 140 frigate designs reflects a wider push for alliance interoperability, and points to a larger recapitalisation of the Royal New Zealand Navy fleet beyond the current programme.
-
![Armada 2050: can Spain deliver its naval transformation?]()
Armada 2050: can Spain deliver its naval transformation?
Spain’s naval modernisation drive is moving from concept to contracts, with RfIs and RfPs expected before the end of the decade, despite second-batch frigate and submarine numbers remaining undecided.
-
![Italy sets course for a decade of sustained naval investment]()
Italy sets course for a decade of sustained naval investment
The country's long-term growth plan to overhaul its fleets well into the 2030s could open the door to an array of opportunities for suppliers.
