The US Navy may consider retiring its Mark VI boats to patrol riverine and littoral waters as it does not consider them suitable for open ocean deterrence. There are already photos of vessels parked on the ground. Greek Defence publication navaldefence.gr asks whether they could be handed over to Greece.
The publication says the boats will be cut out of service for financial reasons. The publication reminds us that the boats are seven years old and in good condition.The Mark VIs were developed to replace the Mark V vessels used by the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).
Each Mark VI costs $15 million and has significantly more capabilities than its predecessor. It is larger so that extra armament and equipment can be carried, displaces 72 tonnes and requires a crew of ten. It features advanced individual point armour and is fully networked with a command, control, communications and computing, surveillance and intelligence (C4SI) suite, ensuring tactical situational awareness, multi-mission support and increased survivability.The vessels can respond to various missions ranging from mine clearance to defence against drone swarm attacks while maintaining an intact special operations support capability.
Their armament consists of two remote-controlled Mk38 Mod2 25 mm cannons and six M2 12.7 mm machine guns. Depending on the needs of the mission, M240 7.6 2 mm machine guns, M134 rotary six-barrel 7.62mm or 40mm Mk19 grenade launchers. In addition, the Mark VI is equipped with two Remotely Operated Weapon Turrets (RWS), the 12.7mm MK50 Sea Protector, and an American version of the Norwegian Kongsberg M153 CROWS II RWS. At the same time, there is the infrastructure for the placement of guided missiles, such as the BGM-176B Griffin.
Its propulsion is provided by two MTU 16V2000M94 diesel engines connected to a waterjet, thus ensuring a speed over 35 knots and a maximum range of 600 n.m. The rear deck and stern are designed to launch and recover small craft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The vessel’s main mast can be lowered to reduce overall height allowing it to be operated from amphibious assault ships.
The publication says in Greek, “Since the USN has already retired the Mark VIs and as we have already mentioned, they are in good condition, our country should move immediately to acquire all the vessels. Their firepower and flexibility in handling any mission assigned to them make them ideal for meeting the needs of special operations units. The small size and the ability to launch UAVs and UUVs in stealth are valuable features, while their self-defence is not negligible.”
