The US Coast Guard has awarded Canadian boat builder MetalCraft Marine a $31 million contract to develop a third-generation Long-Range Interceptor (LRI III) cutter vessel.
The agreement supports the service’s efforts to acquire up to 17 new cutter boats announced last year.
Long-Range Interceptor III
The LRI III ordered under the contract will measure 11 meters (34 feet), according to Ontario-based news outlet Kingstonist.
The vessel will be powered by 6.7-liter, dual Cummings diesel engines and dual Kongsberg A29 waterjets for a speed of up to 40 knots (74 kilometers/46 miles per hour).
It will be equipped with Raymarine and FLIR advanced navigation systems, Shockwave and Shock suspension seatings, and David Clark crew communications systems.
The boat will feature closed or open cabin operation to enable all-weather deployments as well as a 180-degree arc of fire to port and starboard.
The fleet will be integrated with Safariland’s portable ballistic panel suite for high-threat missions.
Expanding Coast Guard Capabilities
Once deployed, the LRI III fleet will replace the coast guard’s LRI IIs that are nearing retirement.
MarineCraft received the first contract to deliver the LRI II to the US Coast Guard in 2012.
“Our previous Interceptor for the Coast Guard… proved to be a very successful platform,” MetalCraft Marine Contract Manager Bob Clark stated.
“The LRI II was the first design to successfully navigate the recovery bay at the transom of the Coast Guard’s flagship 418 National Security Cutter at up to 12 knots.”
“The LRI can operate over the horizon of the mothership and can travel 236 nautical miles on any given mission on plane, giving it a very wide swath to patrol after the mothership’s electronics have detected something suspicious.”
