The U.S. Navy announced a $3.5 billion program to acquire 2,800 small boats over the next ten years, designed to strengthen American shipyards, improve fleet readiness, and promote competition among suppliers.
The plan emphasizes rapid, parallel procurement competitions across a wide vendor base, ensuring continuous support for U.S. boatyards and waterfront operations.
The RFI details a broad mix of vessels, including aluminum oil-spill response craft, 8- and 11-meter Naval Special Warfare (NSW) support boats, force-protection craft, dive support vessels, high-speed maneuvering targets, and steel workboats, tugs, barges, lighters, and floating cranes. The Navy projects 2,800 hulls from FY26 to FY36, with yearly purchases aligned to sustainment and training needs. Delivery hubs will be San Diego and Williamsburg, with provisions for FMS variants and familiarization packages.
Steel workboats, 25–40 feet in length, feature diesel inboards, robust bollard pull, navigation systems, HVAC cabins, hoist and tow fittings, and low-speed control optimized for pushing, towing, and barrier operations. Aluminum oil-spill vessels—utility boats, boom platforms, and skimmers—measure 27–30 feet, equipped with twin gasoline outboards, cruising at 15 knots with sprint speeds up to 25. NSW craft with D-shaped collars reach 35 knots, while U.S. Coast Guard SPC-LE II variants hit 45 knots, equipped with integrated navigation, communications, and heavy machine-gun mounts.
Additional harbor assets include azimuthing stern-drive tugs, 500-ton-capacity lighters, 7,000–14,000-barrel fuel barges, and larger pier-support vessels such as APL(S), YRBM, AFDM, and ARDM units, providing berthing, messing, and maintenance support with lifting capacities sufficient for submarines and surface ships.
