The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has accepted delivery of two response boat-mediums (RB-Ms) under a foreign military sale arranged through the US Department of Homeland Security.
RB-Ms were delivered by Fincantieri Marinette Marine and Vigor, with Fincantieri acting as prime contractor and program manager for the project, and Vigor building the vessels at its Seattle facility.
The Royal Jordanian Naval Force (RJNF) plans to operate the boats from its base in Aqaba, Jordan.
The 13.6-meter vessels are capable of a top speed of more than 42 knots and have a mission duration of up to 24 hours. The RB-Ms will enhance the RJNF’s ability to perform security missions, search and rescue, and drug interdiction along with visit, board, search and seizure operations (VBSS).
Key features on the vessels include FLIR night vision technology, push knees for added control with VBSS operations, and a composite aft deck hardtop for crew comfort. The vessels continue to utilize shock mitigating seats, Vector-Stick Integrated Control Systems, and port and starboard rescue wells for water retrievals.
“We are pleased to lead this effort as the prime contractor and to team with Vigor to provide the US government and our Coast Guard a means through which to strengthen security cooperation worldwide,” said Rick Hunt, president of Fincantieri Marinette Marine.
Vigor previously delivered 174 similar boats to the US Coast Guard and is completing six additional boats to Bahrain.