The Ministry of Defence is looking for up to 61 ‘Intercept & Escort Craft’ to respond to incidents and board other vessels.

A contract notice has been published specifying a firm requirement 36 ‘Intercept & Escort Craft’ craft and an option for an additional 25 craft over a 6 year period. The vessels will replace a wide variety of existing types already in service. It’s important to note the following in order to stop the inevitable comments, this has nothing to do with immigration or what’s happening in the English Channel.

“The aim of this project is to replace extant craft variants. This project will align to the Boats strategy of reducing the number of variants currently being operated whilst at the same time upgrading the user’s current capability.”

The specifications for the craft, as listed in the contract notice, are outlined below:

  • The capability shall provide a high performance fast response craft.
  • The capability shall have a length overall of less than 9.5M and be powered by outboard motors.
  • The capability shall be fully operational at very short notice to respond to incidents anywhere within the defined patrol areas in the defined response times and in all environmental conditions.
  • The capability shall enable the User to safely undertake the boarding of other vessels (including high-sided vessels) while stationary or underway.
  • The capability shall integrate complex communications and navigation systems to enable the User to effectively assimilate and compile the operational picture while underway.
  • The craft will be provided with a detachable ballistic protection kit.

The requirement is to design and build a total of 61 craft.

“The firm requirement is for 36 craft, including associated capability, to be delivered over a 4-year period and options to deliver up to an additional 25 craft currently unfunded over an additional 2-year period.”

The estimated value for the acquisition of the firm requirement is £16.25m and the estimated value for the acquisition of the option craft is an additional £8.13m.

What could the craft look like?

A close match is the ‘9m Patrol Boat – NG504’ from BMT pictured above.  You can read more about the craft from the builders here.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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124 COMMENTS

  1. I sincerely hope the funding for this project is new money and not syphoned off from other RN projects.

    On a personal note , thank you George for all your hard work (and your team’s) in delivering a consistently high level of excellent content.

    And so to George and colleagues and your families- merry xmas!

    • It’s very important, what is known as force protection. Keeping spies, terrorists and random ships and boats away from our vessels in port and inshore waters, and escorting them into and out of the naval bases. The Solent, Plymouth Sound and the Clyde are full of commercial traffic and pleasure boats, and these vessels and our naval vessels need to be safeguarded from one another. The cost is small (around £10 million) and worth it to prevent a collision with a pleasure boat or tanker or a terrorist event such as that which overtook USS Cole.

      • Agreed the MoD harbour patrol is an odd. Arrangement with the great deterrence of a single heckler Koch mp5 on a boat is nothing like adequate deterrent to protect our major ship’s I sailed from the old site ofHMS HORNET ACROSS THE HARBOUR AND HAD MY PHOTO TAKEN LEANING AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE QUEEN ELIZABETH and was not challenge d once. It’s a very big issue and like all things the issue is never even mentioned which poor lackey would be trundle d out to explain to the nation how a massive aircraft carrier was sunk in the middle of the nation’s most important naval base

    • Seconded thanks for all the continued stream of stories and updates. Merry Xmas too.

      Back to topic what would these have as armament, a GPM? where would you put it on the roof or up front?

    • Firstly, take the money from the foreign aid budget stipends to nuclear power countries and those hostile to the U.K. in international fora.

      Secondly, agree. George does great job. Many thanks and best wishes.

    • Hmm.
      The MDP will be receiving 18 new vessels under a separate contract soon.

      One wonders if this is to help swell their numbers a little while replacing some of the boats used by the Army and Marines. (?)

      They might be an addition to the CFS as well.

        • Yes, that’s what I’m thinking. I almost want to say rigid raider/ORC in nature.

          This is one of those slightly unexpected announcements ones I’ll watch with great interest… just like the announcement of a new trials ship.

          • Thanks for the links – interesting stuff.

            It is worth noting that we do have a small number of the first in-service at the moment.

          • Just had a thought what are the new minehunter drones based on? don’t they have option to be manned? perhaps they could be adapted to be used remotely BAU but optioanlly manned for the period of large ships (Carrier/Destroyers/Frigates/Subs etc?)

          • I think GB will be best-placed to comment, but many of the current MCM vessels and workboats are based around a family of designs. They can be manned as and when required – including for some operations directly from or in support of other vessels.

          • The first link shows FIC operated by the FIC Troop of the RM SMG which supports SBS.
            At least 2 were bought, reportedly under project “Belle” to supplement or replace other VSF/FIC types.

            These new “intercept Craft” will certainly not be those.

          • Hi DM, i have no doubt your right, but standard Fast Inceptor class would surely save on spares/logistics? 2 or 3 of those racing about QE as she departs/arrives would certainly deter! as well as looking mean

          • They certainly would. They also have, it’s reported, certain stealth characteristics.

            But you’re right about a standard class.

            I reckon it will something rather less spectacular!

  5. I put money on the home secretary announcing they will help prevent illegal immigants in the next available press conference. Nothing to do with the situation on the channel is clearly non-sense, i am pretty certain this has been prioritied to give the government a good news story in regards to all the stories about immigants recently.

    All the stories are clearly rubbish as we have some of the lowest numbers in the western world, but you wouldnt’ believe that if you read the papers.

    Saying all that, if the boats are needed for real military purposes, then all good.

  6. Can they or will they ever be used to counteract the 100 plus new fast boats the iranians have just bought.
    just asking.

      • Put a couple in the major ports to be inspecting commercial and private vessels as they arrive or which are loitering offshore. Theres 700 harbours in the UK of which 120 take major commercial shipping, some will be inland e.g. Salford so likely focusing just on ports with military assets and a handful of the biggest commercial ports.

        • That’s the job of the police / border agency and not the miltiary. If they are going to use the RN crew to cover for the lack of border force personal, then that is a major issue.

          • Security of Military ports is a RN job. They dont tend to let civilian police in without a specific reason and escort.

          • There isn’t that many military ports to require 60 boats. Pretty significant purchase.

            And don’t they normally protect them using rhib’s

    • A 5 inch pop gun, we need a 16 inch triple mount forward and a F35B aft that will fix it not.

      Anyway all hope you all have a good Christmas and have a party whilst you can.

    • Force protection by MOD Plod.
      Chances are that they would be RIB based and not as the boats in the pictures are Ally hulls. I have worked on a number of Ally hulled FP boats ( Metal Shark) and they are far more maintenance intensive than a large GRP RIB

    • Doubt it. They seem too small, half the length and probably a third of the displacement. They say “will replace a variety of classes” but I’m not really aware of any patrol boats that we have in service except for the much larger archer class as you mention, and MDP Island class.

        • The 9.5m max length seems to tie in with the max length capacity of the “seaboat” bay on T26, this and the low cost suggests they are rhib etc replacements.

  13. … this has nothing to do with immigration or what’s happening in the English Channel.

    Well, that being the case I best stay away from commenting. However, there is no hiding from the elephant in the room is there?

    • Our imimigration problem is minor. 60 million foregners enter the UK every year via airports. 99% legally. It’s political hokum.

      • Aye Jimbo in the spirit of Christmas good will and peace 😃👍🏻I’d just like to say the use of the word hokum does not fully convey nor does it adequately express the desired sentiment so might I suggest the more apt SHITE or as is often heard down the local boozers here in Scotchland “ Res ipsa loquitur “

        🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇧

          • Aye agreed that and an 8 billion sterling uplift in the defence budget and the nuclear deterrent cost removed from core MOD budget and returned to treasury to fund….. oh and Kelly Brook back to a size 10 👍🏻

            🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇧

      • The only real problem is around the human cost and optics. Families drowning in the channel is the problem, as you say the number landing on the beach are really small, compared to legal routes.

      • The home office does not know how many illegals are in UK. COVID permitting I’m flying to USA shortly just completed an esta application. I’m pre checked , USA knows when I’m coming and when I have left.

    • M the quoted line from that wee rascal Dodd was a fishing line sneakily inserted to hook folks in and get the ball rollin for a mass dust up 😃 you almost got hooked man 😉

      🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇧

  16. OK so whilst this is good news why don’t we extract a whole load of value from this decision and purchase 200 CB90’s

    this would be great all round and should be part of the capability of the T31/32’s

    I suspect we won’t, but that would give us a step change in capability with the ability to get a proven fast patrol and raiding boat into the fleet

  17. There have been a few of these over recent years.

    About 6 years back the MoD bought 60 Pacific 24s from BAES, the Atlas project is delivering 35 workboats, last year Babcock/Wing won a contract for over 200 inflatables, and a few months ago BMT/MST recieved an order for 18 x 15m boats for the MDP. Now we have a tender for up to 60 more.

    The list still doesn’t cover the larger Dagger/Cutlass for Gib, the 11 new cutters for the Border Force, nor the planned P2000 replacements.

    • Yes the boats team seem to be doing a good job. I suspect it was a neglected area and they have been tasked with sorting it out.

      Pacific 24s are 7.8M sea boats for warships – the have inboard diesels and waterjets. 60 bought in 2015 to replace the earlier Pacific 22 RIB.

      The workboats are 11M and 13M and also have inboards and waterjets cover a range of roles including survey launches for Protector and the Echos, Dive Support Vessels for MCM, PTBs for PoW, Picket Boats for BRNC and tenders for the autonomous MCMV. They have replaced a number of old (often very old) boats.35 bought in 2019.

      The ORCs (offshore raiding craft) are 9M aluminium with optional ballistic protection, and also come with inboard diesels and waterjets, and are used by the RM.39 bought in late noughties.

      The Wing-P inflatables sourced by Babcock are very fancy American military Zodiacs – between 4-5m and air-portable, for the RM raiding forces, divers and as small sea boats on warships. 200 ordered last year.

      These fast interceptors and escort boats are going to be 9M with outboards. Likely to be harbour-based for inshore work. Could easily be the outboard version of the Pacific 24 or the 9M ORC with outboards..Between 40-60 to be ordered.

      • Recent autonomous efforts are also not to be forgotten: 9m Manta delivered last year, the Pac24 conversion on trial this year, the 11-15m minehunters and the 13m Madfox.

        It would be interesting to know why the sclerotic procurement decisions at ship level don’t seem to be affecting boats. Is it purely budget, or do different oversight rules interfere?

        • I forgot the MOD Police patrol boats too. They are 15M with inboard diesels. 18 ordered in June this year, also from Holyhead Marine, I believe, who build the ORCs.

  19. Could this not just be a replacement for the sea boats (including Rigid Inflatable Boats) embarked on all our Navy ships?

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