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Acquisition Directorate

RB-M: Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Why is the Coast Guard buying the RB-M?
  2. What mission requirements are the RB-M designed to meet?
  3. What is significant about the RB-M acquisition?
  4. How did the Coast Guard choose the RB-M design?
  5. What assets will the RB-M replace?
  6. What are the RB-Ms capabilities compared to the 41-foot UTB?
  7. How does the RB-M handle in comparison to the 41’ UTB?
  8. What kind of propulsion does the RB-M have?
  9. When did the Coast Guard receive its first RB-M and what is the service doing with the boats it has delivered to date?
  10. How much did the new boat cost and who built it?
  11. Where are the RB-Ms being built?
  12. How long does it take to produce the RB-M?
  13. How was the maintenance program for the RB-M developed?  Is it contracted out?
  14. What is the production and delivery plan for the RB-M project?
  15. Where will the RB-Ms be deployed?

 

1. Why is the Coast Guard buying the RB-M?

The Coast Guard recognized that its pre-9/11 mission set was expanding, and current boat assets, many of which had been in service for 20-30 years, were becoming uneconomical to own and operate. Aimed at standardizing and revitalizing the shore based response fleet, the Coast Guard initiated the RB-M acquisition project with the understanding that the replacement would also be in service for 20 or more years.

2. What mission requirements are the RB-M designed to meet?

The RB-M are designed to meet Coast Guard mission requirements for search and rescue; ports, waterways, and coastal security; drug interdiction; and migrant interdiction. Additionally, the RB-M will support marine safety, aids to navigation, marine environmental protection, and defense readiness missions.

3. What is significant about the RB-M acquisition?

The key strengths of the RB-M acquisition strategy are its solid foundation of validated requirements, its use of established best practices for engineering and manufacturing, and its close relationship with the technical authority and the sponsor. The Coast Guard Acquisition Directorate worked closely with the engineering, logistics and training, and operational communities to ensure all the tools and processes were in place before engaging industry.

4. How did the Coast Guard choose the RB-M design?

The Coast Guard’s Acquisition Directorate followed a deliberative process to develop and validate requirements for the RB-M, involving from the earliest phase the project’s sponsor (the Coast Guard’s Office of Boat Forces), the operational community, the technical authorities and our acquisition leadership. The acquisition strategy utilized a two-phase process which included evaluation of test boats from contractors where Coast Guard small boat coxswains and crew were brought in to evaluate the test boats and provide input essential to the refinement of the requirements for the production contract.  Through a full and open competition, the Coast Guard selected the proposal put forward by Marinette Marine Corporation as representing the best value.

5. What assets will the RB-M replace?

The RB-M will replace our 41-foot and non-standard Utility Boats (UTBs) operating from Coast Guard shore stations. The 41-foot Utility Boats (UTBs) have served the Coast Guard well as the mainstay of Coast Guard station operations for decades, operating well in excess of two million hours, and well beyond their planned service life.

6. What are the RB-Ms capabilities compared to the 41-foot UTB?

The RB-M is a self-righting, 45-foot all-aluminum boat with twin diesel engines and water jet propulsion. It includes multiple navigation displays, a wireless crew communication system, an Infra Red (IR) camera, shock mitigating seating, and a climate controlled cabin. Unlike the 41-foot UTB, the RB-M has the ability to self-right if it should ever capsize.  This feature allows the RB-M to operate in higher seas ensuring the crew (and rescued survivors) come home safely. For example, RB-M’s survivability parameters are 12 foot seas and 50 knots of wind whereas the UTB’s limits are 8 foot seas and 30 knots of wind.    The RB-M has a top speed in excess of 40 knots and cruises at 30 knots, compared to the 41’ UTB top speed of 26 knots.  This will allow the Coast Guard to perform its duties more efficiently with improved safety – allowing them, for example, to be onsite to a rescue more quickly, and in better condition. UTB' & RB-M Comparison>>

7. How does the RB-M handle in comparison to the 41’ UTB?

The RB-M uses proven, state-of-the-market technology to take advantage of the maneuverability of the RB-M’s water jet propulsion to enable joystick activated vector control in both transit and in docking maneuver evolutions.  The ability to quickly re-direct water jet propulsion provides superior control to the coxswain over the wheel controlled rudder and propeller found on the UTB.  The RB-M’s Deep Vee, Double Chine hull strikes a balance between high performance and stability.  Additionally, the layout of the pilothouse is designed based on field participation to ensure all communication and navigational displays were in the ideal location for RB-M operations.

8. What kind of propulsion does the RB-M have?

Two Series 60 MTU/Detroit Diesel engines producing 825 horsepower each coupled to Rolls-Royce water-jet propulsion units power the RB-M. The Series 60 engine is an inline 6-cylinder with proven reliability and maintainability in the commercial industry for off/on highway vehicles. The waterjet system provides improved maneuverability and allows the RB-M to operate with a shallower draft; therefore, greatly increasing the capability of the RB-M over the old 41’ UTB.

9. When did the Coast Guard receive its first RB-M and how are the boats that are received being utilized?

The Coast Guard accepted the first RB-M on March 31, 2008, at Coast Guard Station Little Creek, Va. We have delivered other boats to various stations around the Continental United States. During Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) approximately 12 boats per year were built with some of the RB-Ms participating in Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E). The OT&E process ensured that the RB-M was proven under realistic environmental conditions and in realistic Coast Guard missions, before moving to Full Rate Production. The other boats built during LRIP have replaced aging 41UTBs and are performing their jobs exceptionally, including participating in some high profile missions such as rescue assist for downed U.S. Airways Flight 1549, anti-smuggling activities including a re-enactment for the TV show “America’s Most Wanted” and providing safe transport to dignitaries such as Great Britain’s Prince Harry. OT&E has been completed and approval has been given to move into full rate production of 30 RB-Ms per year. Please view our Newsroom and Multimedia pages to see the RB-M in action.

10. How much did the new boat cost and who built it?

The approximate cost of an RB-M is $2M per boat.  On June 21, 2006, the Coast Guard awarded the RB-M contract to Marinette Marine Corp. (MMC) of Marinette, WI who has sub-contracted the detailed design and the initial production of RB-Ms to Kvichak Marine Industries (KMI) of Kent, Wash.

11. Where are the RB-Ms being built?

Marinette Marine Corp. is building the RB-Ms at their facility in Green Bay, Wisc., and through their subcontractor, Kvichak Marine Industries in Kent, Wash.

12. How long does it take to produce the RB-M?

Beginning in 2006, after selecting a winning proposal, the RB-M project spent a year in detailed design before starting fabrication. It took nine months to build the first RB-M. This time was significantly reduced from lessons learned during LRIP and before the determination to proceed to full rate production. The assembly-line production processes were developed to support deliveries of at least 30 boats per year (more than one boat every two weeks).

13.How was the maintenance program for the RB-M developed? Is it contracted out?

The design of the RB-M relied heavily on Human Factors Engineering based on contributions from the maintenance community in the field to incorporate components and layouts that improved accessibility and maintainability. The Maintenance Procedure Cards were developed based on manufacturer’s recommendations and are refined using operational testing and evaluation from deployed RB-Ms. The project provides interim logistics support via the RB-M contract. When sufficient usage data has been gathered, the in-house Coast Guard sustainment community at the Surface Forces Logistics Center (SFLC), will gear up to support the RB-Ms. Once the RB-M support foundation has been set up, logistic support will be transferred to the SFLC. Training programs on the RB-M systems are in development, and will be pilot tested prior to the transfer SFLC logistic support.

14. What is the production and delivery plan for the RB-M project?

Under the Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract, the project delivered RB-Ms at a rate of approximately one boat per month. Following the successful completion of LRIP, and OT&E, the Coast Guard entered into Full Rate Production (FRP) in March 2010. Production has increased to at least 30 boats per year at a rate of 5 boats every two months. In total, the Coast Guard plans to acquire 180 RB-Ms.

15. Where will the RB-Ms be deployed?

The Coast Guard’s Office of Boat Forces determines the locations for each RB-M prior to their acceptance by the Coast Guard Acquisition Directorate’s RB-M Project Resident Office. Initial deployments were based on placing the RB-M in a wide range of mission and environmental conditions for Operational Testing and Evaluation. The RB-M is expected to be deployed at all locations that typically operate a 41’ UTB as their primary asset. View map of RB-M locations>>

 

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Last Modified 1/26/2012