US Coast Guard orders additional 15 response boats

The U.S. Coast Guard has ordered additional 15 response boats-small II (RB-S IIs) and associated equipment worth approximately $6 million.

The latest order brings the total number of boats ordered to 279 while 250 have been delivered so far.

The 29-foot RB-S II can travel at a top speed of more than 40 knots and are built by Metal Shark Aluminum Boats of Jeanerette, Louisiana.

The high-speed platform is deployed close to shore for missions including search and rescue, law enforcement, port security, environmental response, and drug and migrant interdiction.

RB-S IIs are gradually replacing the 25-foot RB-Ss as they reach the end of their planned 10-year service lives.