FRCs are considerably smaller and less expensive than OPCs; they are intended to replace the Coast Guard’s 49 aging Island-class patrol boats. [16][17], However, a bill passed by the United States Congress on November 15, 2011, imposed conditions on the USCG's capital expenditures, that revolved around the design of the Offshore Patrol Cutter, granting greater certainty to the project.[18]. By 2010 and 2011 some commentators speculated that the entire program was vulnerable to cancellation on budgetary grounds, because of the long delay in finalizing a preliminary design. Shipyards cannot compete. [15], The cutter was originally proposed to replace aging medium endurance cutters with more capable and technologically advanced cutters as a part of the Integrated Deepwater System Program. Several of the Service’s 29 existing mid-sized cutters are over fifty years old, unreliable and obsolete. [11] The Heritage-class cutters are equipped with the same 220 rpm Bofors 57 mm gun as mounted on the USN's Littoral combat ships and the USCG's Legend-class cutters. With a total value of $10.5 billion, the Offshore Patrol Cutter (formally known as the Heritage (WMSM 915) class cutter) is a top Coast Guard procurement priority. Comments Off on Keel laid for first Coast Guards Offshore Patrol Cutter Argus Panama City, FL – The keel laying ceremony for the US Coast Guard’s, first of class, Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) ARGUS (WMSM-915), was held on April 28, 2020 at Eastern Shipbuilding Group’s Nelson Street facility. The contract originally included options for the production of up to nine vessels with a … “The Offshore Patrol Cutter acquisition is the Coast Guard’s highest investment priority, and we are proud to announce this important milestone,” said Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Paul Zukunft. Energizing this contest is the Navy’s next generation frigate program, as certain shipyards that are not entirely confident in their frigate bids face an existential crisis should they lose the frigate contest. In 2018, Hurricane Michael devastated the shipyard where construction of the Coast Guard's Offshore Patrol Cutters was about to begin. On June 30, the shipyard finally requested “extraordinary cost and schedule relief” from the Department of Homeland Security. In total, the 25-ship deal could be worth up to $10.5 billion. a cutter class of the United States Coast Guard (USCG), developed as part of the Integrated Deepwater System Program and built by Eastern Shipbuilding. A lot has changed in the maritime over the past six years. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. The Coast Guard has picked the homeport for the service’s first pair of Offshore Patrol Cutters on the East Coast, the service announced on Wednesday. discuss naval matters at NextNavy.com or write about the Navy, The contract to build these mid-sized 3,500- to 3,700-ton cutters was awarded in 2016 to a scrappy underdog, Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group. This leads to the Final Critical Design Review for the Offshore Patrol Cutter. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. But it might be worth taking another fast look at the requirements and the overall design to see if the vessel still makes sense, or if purchases of more smaller Fast Response Cutters and larger National Security Cutters offers the Coast Guard greater capabilities than the current Offshore Patrol Cutter design. The … The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announced the award of Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) industry studies contracts to eight shipbuilders on March 20. Rolls-Royce will supply the USCG Heritage-class fleet's controllable-pitch propellers (CPP), shaft lines, and Promas rudders, which offer increased propulsive efficiency and improved maneuverability. Again, it might be worthwhile to use this programmatic pause to re-evaluate design assumptions and take a quick and hard look at the current Offshore Patrol Cutter design, evaluating modern concepts as well as the re-evaluating the detailed designs provided by the other two Offshore Patrol Cutter finalists, Bath Ironworks and Bollinger Shipyards. The total value of the options exercised is $317.5 million. Artist’s rendition of the Offshore Patrol Cutter, images courtesy of Eastern Shipbuilding Group. The multi-mode naval radar also provides Gun Weapon System cueing and supports the cutter's self-defense and limited air defense capability. The Offshore Patrol Cutter – the Coast Guard’s highest investment priority – will provide the Coast Guard with a renewed level of presence and effectiveness in the offshore environment. New Coast Guard OffShore Patrol Cutter - Expands Homeland Defense defensemaven.io - Kris Osborn Kris Osborn By Kris Osborn - Warrior Maven (Washington D.C.) Coast Guard ships are built for the specific purpose of The design may also be obsolete. An artist's rendering of a future Heritage Class Offshore Patrol Cutter. The 360'x54' cutter will be powered by two FM|MAN 16V 28/33D STC diesel engines, each rated at 7,280 kW (9,760 hp at 1,000 rpm) propulsion power. This ensures that the Heritage class has the required interoperability to execute naval warfare tasks with the USN. List of equipment of the United States Coast Guard, http://marine.man.eu/news/news-details/2017/01/16/eastern-shipbuilding-selects-man-28-33d-stc-engines-for-us-coast-guard-offshore-patrol-cutter-(opc)-programme, "Saab to Provide Multi-Mode Radar for US Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter", "Exhibit P-40, Budget Line Item Justification: PB 2020 Navy", "Offshore Patrol Cutter: Program Profile", "Maritime security Cutter, Medium (WMSC), Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC), CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS", "UNCLASSIFIED LI 4206 – Coast Guard Weapons UNCLASSIFIED Navy Page 1 of 4 P-1 Line #30 Exhibit P-40, Budget Line Item Justification: PB 2015 Navy", "Rolls-Royce wins propulsion contract for U.S. Coast Guard's new Offshore Patrol Cutter", "FY17-FY21 SHIPBOARD MULTI MODE RADAR (MMR) PRODUCTION", "Surface Navy 2018: SEWIP Lite set for first deliveries", "Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) SUW Self-Protection Secondary Battery Study", "The Coast Guard's Offshore Patrol Cutter", "House Coast Guard authorization bill decommissions icebreaker within 3 years", "Lean Fiscal Times Influence Design Of New Coast Guard Cutter Program", "3 Firms Win Design Contracts for New US Coast Guard Cutter", "GAO denies protest over Coast Guard patrol cutters", "Eastern Shipbuilding Wins Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter Award; Bests BIW, Bollinger", "Coast Guard Ready for Possible Offshore Patrol Cutter Protest", "Eastern Shipbuilding Completes Offshore Patrol Cutter ICDR Milestone", "The Long Blue Line: the Nation's first fleet, today's Offshore Patrol Cutters", "Coast Guard Exercises Long Lead Time Materials Option For First Offshore Patrol Cutter", "EASTERN SHIPBUILDING GROUP AWARDED LONG LEAD TIME MATERIAL (LLTM) CONTRACT FOR UNITED STATES COAST GUARD OFFSHORE PATROL CUTTER PROGRAM", "Coast Guard Exercises Option to Construct First Offshore Patrol Cutter", "Construction starts on first US Coast Guard offshore patrol cutter", "Department of Homeland Security Approves Limited Extraordinary Relief for Offshore Patrol Cutter Contract", "Keel authenticated for first offshore patrol cutter", "Coast Guard Modifies Contract to Construct Second Offshore Patrol Cutter, Acquire Long Lead-Time Material for Third Offshore Patrol Cutter", Matagorda deploying and retrieving her Short Range Prosecutor at speed, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Heritage-class_cutter&oldid=1000704124, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 2 × 7,280 kW (9,760 hp) MAN 16V28/33D STC diesel engines at 1,000 rpm, Ballistic protection over critical areas and main gun, 4 x crew-served M2 Browning .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns, This page was last edited on 16 January 2021, at 08:34. With relief, Eastern now likely gets a fresh start. This leads to the Final Critical Design Review for the Offshore Patrol Cutter. Conclusion: Medium Endurance Cutters Are Needed. With a price tag estimated at $300 million to $400 million over the life of the program, the offshore patrol cutter has drawn some scrutiny in the current budget climate. Heritage-class offshore patrol cutter programme details In September 2016, USCG contracted Eastern Shipbuilding Group to supply nine Heritage-class OPCs. [23] On October 15, 2016 the Coast Guard issued a notice to proceed with the detailed design of the Offshore Patrol Cutter to Eastern Shipbuilding. In my spare time, I support think-tank studies, The U.S. Coast Guard also gets the advantage of having two yards involved in the program—which adds more political cover to the program as well as increasing opportunities to inject added competition in the later stages of the procurement. I offer blunt, uncompromising guidance on national security solutions, bringing complex security issues and oft-neglected defense topics to the attention of interested policymakers and the general public. [14] The WMSM will have the capability and equipment to escape from a CBRNE and/or TIC contaminated environment. [9], The Saab Sea Giraffe AN/SPS-77 multi-mode medium-range naval radar system provides three-dimensional air and surface search functions. The Coast Guard announced the award of eight Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) industry studies contracts March 20, 2020. [10] The cutters are also equipped with the AN/SLQ-32C(V)6 electronic warfare system, which is a scaled down and lower cost version of the AN/SLQ-32(V)6 SEWIP Block 2 system. To win this contract, Eastern Shipbuilding Group had to beat several larger and more experienced defense contractors. And while a quick rescrub of the existing Offshore Patrol Cutter design and the requirements that back it are worthwhile, a potentially imperfect design may be better than the aged and rusty alternative. Despite Huge Losses, United Airlines Tries Talking Positively. There is where the Coast Guard’s emerging Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) enters the equation, a new ship envisioned as a more capable, better networked, larger and far more advanced, high- … The Coast Guard’s dramatic move has saved the Offshore Patrol Cutter Program. Back when the Offshore Patrol Cutter contract was inked in 2016, Eastern Shipbuilding Group had something of a swashbuckling reputation. The Heritage-class cutter, also known as the Offshore Patrol Cutter and the Maritime Security Cutter, Medium, is What Can The Beleaguered Airline Business Expect From 2021? For defense operations the WMSM will meet a range of roles from theater security cooperation to deploying with an expeditionary strike group (ESG) or supporting a combatant commander in various ways. The yard exploded on the scene during the Gulf offshore oil boom, emerging out of nowhere to become an amazingly successful commercial yard, building tugs and oilfield support craft at a blistering pace. A design from 2013, built to meet requirements formulated at the height of the counter-terrorism era, may not be the right mix for today’s threat environment. You may opt-out by. maritime conflicts or challenges posed by maritime disruption from China's Coast Guard and maritime militias. © 2021 Forbes Media LLC. The Coast Guard authorized the start of construction for the first two OPCs despite not having a stable design, which, says GAO, is inconsistent with shipbuilding best practices. Each OPC will be powered by two FM-MAN 16V 28/33D diesel engines, each rated at 9763 bhp (7.28 MW) at 1000 rpm. There are industry concerns that the design is a patchwork of lowest-price, barely technically acceptable solutions, and that the cutter, if built as designed, will not perform well. In February 2014, the USCG announced that Bollinger Shipyards, Eastern Shipbuilding, and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works had been awarded design contracts for the OPC. As industry observers had started to wonder if Eastern Shipbuilding had bitten off more than it could chew, and pondered if the shipyard had offered the Coast Guard an unrealistically low price to win the contract, Eastern Shipbuilding’s Panama City shipyard was leveled by an enormous Category Five hurricane, Hurricane Michael, in October 2018. Plans to include a stern launching ramp, as on the National Security Cutters and the Fast Response Cutters, had been eliminated on budgetary grounds. Computer graphic illustration of the Heritage-class cutter provided by Eastern Shipbuilding. The primary risk for the Department of Homeland Security is that the industry rumors are true, and the Coast Guard discovers that Eastern Shipbuilding Group dramatically underbid. Joe Biden Could Rescue The Last Nuclear Treaty—But Don’t Expect Him To Negotiate A New One, Clarified ‘Unfair And Deceptive’ Language Improves Airline Pricing Transparency, Russia Is Building Four Special Submarines To Haul Its Weird Doomsday Drone. The Coast Guard—a component within the Department Homeland Security (DHS)—plans to spend over $12 billion over a period of 20 years to acquire a fleet of 25 Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPC), its highest investment priority and largest acquisition program. executive for naval shipbuilder Austal USA, helping deliver Littoral Just as Maine’s Bath Ironworks and Mississippi’s Huntington Ingalls’ Industries Pascagoula yard compete for the successful Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) guided missile destroyer program, later tranches of Offshore Patrol Cutter purchases can potentially be competed out, saving taxpayer money. Fairbanks Morse has announced that their diesel engines will be used in the Offshore Patrol Cutter. The first Offshore Patrol Cutter is expected to be delivered in Fiscal Year 2021. To assist the Government with tracking responses, please reference “Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) Technical Library Request” and company’s name in the subject line. As these rumors swirled in 2018, Hurricane Michael hit, leveling the Eastern Shipbuilding Group’s shipyard in Panama City. The service needs the 25 new cutters soon to replace others that are more than 50 years old, but the hurricane added delays and cost.The Coast Guard accepted significant risk with the design, schedule, and cost—both before and after the hurricane—to … [8] These cutters have space and weight reserved for additional weapons systems which would allow them to carry out wartime missions. Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) Background The Deepwater acquisition plan includes 25 OPCs. The cutters will also support Arctic operations.[5]. The cutters' construction will provide combat survivability against various threats, including combatant-type compartmentalization, uninterruptible power supply to vital combat and damage control systems and sensors, and ballistic materials over critical areas for protection against small caliber weapons and shrapnel. 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