Category Archives: USMC

Marine Experimental Recon, Narco Boats Break Cover during UNITAS

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Looking back over the huge photo dump from the recent UNITAS 2025 exercise– which has been trucking along annually since 1960– a somewhat composite view arises of the Marine’s new Maritime Reconnaissance Companies (MRC), and the drone supply boats it looks to use to supply its pair of expeditionary Marine Littoral Regiments in forward, likely isolated, islands in the Western Pacific.

I present to you the carbon-fiber hulled Whiskey Bravo boat in operation, utilizing a tire-clad, retired USCG 87-foot Marine Protector-class patrol boat as the target for a training VBSS team. In Marine use, the 40-foot Australian-built Whiskey Bravo is referred to as the more official Multi-Mission Reconnaissance Craft, or MMRC.

U.S. Marines with 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, 4th Marine Division and marines with Batallón de Infantería de Marina, Armada de la República Dominicana, (marine Infantry Battalion within the Dominican navy) board a moving ship while on Multi Mission Reconnaissance Craft-A littoral craft, to conduct visit, board, search and seizure training during exercise UNITAS 2025 Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, Sept. 23, 2025.

U.S. Marines with 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, 4th Marine Division, prepare to visit, board, search, and seize a vessel during exercise UNITAS 2025 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, Sept. 24, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Michail Stankosky)

U.S. Marines with 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, 4th Marine Division, prepare to visit, board, search, and seize a vessel during exercise UNITAS 2025 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, Sept. 24, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Michail Stankosky)

The Whiskey Bravo accommodates up to six operators seated on shock-absorbing seats and two crew members at the forward control console.

It can carry twin 4-round Rafael (Lockheed) Spike NLOS canister launchers on the stern (17nm range and a Mini-Typhoon remote-controlled stabilized .50 cal up front.

Without the armament, it can carry as many as 17 combat-loaded troops for short stints. The boat can be rushed to a forward area via C-17 and is air-droppable. Further, the WB can be optionally manned, controlled instead via remote datalink.

A take on how it could be employed.

As described in a November 2024 Proceedings piece by Lt.Col Brian Lusczynski, three active and perhaps one reserve Maritime Reconnaissance Companies will be established, each with 18 Whiskey Bravo boats (MMRCs) and 12 unnamed USV types.

Within a Marine division, the MRC will fall under a parent O-5 command such as the future mobile reconnaissance battalions (which are replacing the light armored reconnaissance units). Each MRC will consist of a headquarters element and three maneuver platoons operating MMRCs and USVs. Each platoon will comprise a headquarters element and three maneuver sections, with each section consisting of two MMRCs and two USVs.

Next, we have the Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel, or ALPV, which takes the nearly awash “narco sub” concept long used to run all sorts of contraband and options it for remote use to carry supplies to calm little lagoons right under the eyes of the PLAN.

It has been tested out by the Logistics Battalions of the Marine Littoral Regiments, and is described as “a semi-submersible autonomous logistics delivery system that has the ability to deliver multiple variations of supplies and equipment through contested maritime terrain.”

An autonomous low-profile vessel assigned to 2nd Distribution Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, pulls out of Mile Hammock Bay during exercise UNITAS 2025 at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Sept. 15, 2025. 2nd MLG is working with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab to experiment with the ALPV for a more lethal, agile, and resilient capability while conducting expeditionary advanced base operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo Lance Cpl. Franco Lewis)

U.S. Marines with Maritime Distribution Platoon, 2nd Distribution Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 2 open an autonomous low-profile vessel for refueling operations during exercise UNITAS 2025 at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Sept. 18, 2025. 2nd Marine Logistics Group is working with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab to experiment with the ALPV for a more lethal, agile, and resilient capability while conducting expeditionary advanced base operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo Sgt. Rafael Brambila-Pelayo)

ALPV has also been seen recently underway in Okinawa.

The Marine Corps tested the Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel (ALPV) during exercise Resolute Dragon 2025 (RD25), in Okinawa, Japan, and surrounding outlying islands. The ALPV is an autonomous logistics delivery system that can be configured to deliver multiple variations of supplies and equipment throughout the littorals. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Connor Taggart)

And a recent view of the cargo capability of the 65-foot ALPV, which seems to have several pallet-sized cargo holds.

The concept of getting some diesel, a few pallets of MREs and water, plus extra batteries and an assortment of lickies and chewies, shipped quietly into a forward atoll, could be a realistic way to keep isolated garrisons fed and semi-happy.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Conor Bassham, left, a metal worker and Sgt. Daymion Noisewater, a small craft mechanic with Combat Logistics Battalion 8, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, guides cargo onto an Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel during a concept of operations test at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, April 23, 2025. The ALPV is an autonomous logistics delivery system that the Marine Corps is testing to resupply a dispersed lethal fighting force discreetly and allow those operating in the littorals to be more sustainable, resilient, and survivable, both in competition and in conflict. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christian Salazar)

Meanwhile, the 16-foot Blacksea GARC was also seen sporting around during UNITAS.

250923-N-N3764-1097. ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sep. 23, 2025) A U.S. Navy Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) maneuvers in the Atlantic Ocean during UNITAS 2025, the 66th iteration of the world’s longest-running multinational maritime exercise. Unmanned and remotely operated vehicles and vessels extend the capability of interconnected manned platform sensors to enhance capacity across the multinational force. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

250923-N-N3764-1077 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sep. 23, 2025) A U.S. Navy Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) maneuvers in the Atlantic Ocean during UNITAS 2025, the 66th iteration of the world’s longest-running multinational maritime exercise. Unmanned and remotely operated vehicles and vessels extend the capability of interconnected manned platform sensors to enhance capacity across the multinational force. (Official U.S. Navy photo)

It seems like it’s all coming together.

Beretta gives the Guadalcanal Raiders a Salute in Frogskin

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Beretta has debuted a new configuration of the A300 Ultima Patrol semi-auto 12 gauge platform in two editions, just in time for the Marine Corps’ 250th Birthday.

Built to honor 250 years of the nation’s go-to amphibious corps, the Patrol Raider is clad in a nostalgic yet functional “Frogskin” camo pattern akin to that worn by Marine Raiders as they fought across the Pacific Theater in World War II.

USMC Raiders in frogskin camo Guadalcanal
First carried ashore by Marine Raiders on Guadalcanal, Frogskin was one of the earliest attempts at issuing individual disruptive camouflage uniforms in combat and remained in limited use as late as Vietnam. (Photos: National Archives). 
Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Raider
The new A300 Ultima Patrol Raider includes a bayonet mount, enlarged controls, ample accessory mounts via multiple M-Lok mounting points, aggressive texturing in grip areas, and a 7+1-shot extended magazine tube. Weight is 7.9 pounds, unloaded, while the length of pull is 13 inches and includes a half-inch recoil pad.  (Photos unless noted: Beretta)
Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Raider
It has a 19.1-inch barrel with a Mobil choke and an overall length of 38 inches. 
Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Raider Commemorative Edition
A limited A300 Ultima Patrol Raider Commemorative Edition includes an Ontario OKC 3S bayonet, which is current-issue to the Marines, along with a custom wooden ammo crate display case. 
Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Raider Commemorative Edition Ontario bayonet
Beretta details that the bayonet mount reflects the shotgun’s historical role in close-quarters combat, going back to Marine units in World War I, offering added authenticity and appeal for collectors and enthusiasts of military heritage.

The standard Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol Raider has an MSRP of $1,399 while the Commemorative Edition, of which just 250 will be made, runs $2,499.

“The United States Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary is a historic milestone, and we wanted to create something that truly celebrates their legacy,” said Caleb McMillen, Sr. Product Manager at Beretta USA. “The A300 Ultima Patrol Raider is more than a shotgun. It’s a tribute to 250 years of honor, courage, and commitment. By blending battlefield heritage with modern performance, we’re proud to offer both a commemorative edition and a mission-ready configuration that salute America’s Finest Fighting Force.”

A Great Idea, Perhaps Horribly Implemented

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As you may have heard, President Trump and Finnish Prime Minister Keir Starmer had a 45-minute public post-NATO joining hug fest at the White House on Thursday. A big result, of importance to us, is an announcement that a wild consortium of folks who should know how to make icebreakers has been selected for the $9 billion design and construction of six Arctic Security Cutters (ASC) for the USCG to a basically existing design.

Eighty percent of the world’s icebreakers are designed in Finland, and 60 percent of them are built there.

The group is made up of Bollinger Shipyards, in partnership with Finland’s Rauma Marine Constructions (Rauma) and Aker Arctic Technology Inc. (Aker Arctic), along with Canada’s Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan).

At first glance, this should be a good thing as Bollinger has been aces when it comes to making Dutch Damen-designed patrol boats in their Louisiana yards for the USCG going back to the 1980s, including the 110-foot Islands, the 87-foot Marine Protector, and the 158-foot Sentinel classes. In fact, Bollinger has delivered 186 vessels to the Coast Guard– that work– in the past 40 years. However, their three planned 23,000-ton USCG Polar Security Cutter heavy polar icebreakers, inherited when they bought Halter in Mississippi, have been plagued with issues.

Rauma delivered three well-made and successful 10,000-ton multi-purpose icebreakers in the 1990s to Arctia Oy, the state-owned company responsible for operating the Finnish icebreaker fleet. This was followed by the 24,000 icebreaking passenger ferry Aurora Botnia in 2021. Further, they have four Pohjanmaa-class multi-purpose frigates currently under construction for the Finnish Navy that are to be capable of operating in ice.

Aker is a Finnish firm that has spent the past 20 years designing icebreakers to the most modern standards.

Vancouver-based Seaspan has been around since 1970 and has produced dozens of commercial tugs and ferries, and as of late has pulled down several RCN/CCG contracts, including for the 20,000-ton Protecteur class AOEs (based on a successful design used by the German Navy) and the 26,000-ton icebreaker CCGS Arpatuuq. Both of the latter contracts have suffered from considerable delays. Speaking of delays, Seaspan just started sea trials on the ice-capable oceanographic ship CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk whose budget jumped more than tenfold from CAD$109 million to CAD$1.47 billion (not a misprint), has dragged out way past the expected delivery date, and has been under construction for the past 10 years.

The Seaspan-built CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk was ordered in 2015 and only recently began sea trials, at 10X the original budget.

Seaspan has also pulled down the Canadian Coast Guard contract for up to 16 Aker-designed 8,987-ton, 327-foot multi-purpose icebreakers (MPI), which are intended to revitalize the CCG’s fleet. Capable of icebreaking (polar class 4), SAR, sovereignty patrols, fishery patrol, and ATON, the project is estimated to cost $14.2 billion, but the first vessel isn’t to be delivered until 2030.

The Seaspan MPIs for the CCG have a large forward crane and cargo hold with excess deck capacity, a helicopter hangar, two utility craft, and the capability to operate RHIBs. Capable of 16 knots with a diesel-electric suite that allows for a 12,000nm/60-day endurance, they only need a 50-person crew.

The CCG MPIs:

What the USCG is supposed to be getting…

So, the agreement this week is for six Arctic Security Cutters, based on the Seaspan-Aker MPI design for the CCG. The first three vessels will be built simultaneously by Rauma in Finland and Bollinger in the U.S. (likely at the old Halter yard in Mississippi), with production of the remaining three vessels to be built in the U.S., while Seaspan and Aker will assist.

Delivery of the first three vessels is expected within 36 months of the contract award. That means they are expected before the first Canadian-built MPI, which they are based on, will be delivered. Now that is putting a lot of faith in Rauma and Bollinger.

The difference between the CCG MPI and the images of the planned Bollinger-Rauma ASC seems few, with the large crane deleted, an MK 38 Mod 2/3 gun forward, four M2 .50 cals on the bridge wings, and an MH-60T on the helicopter deck.

Keep in mind the forward cargo deck is to be left open to allow for eight 40-foot ISO cargo containers, which could host the Mk 70 Mod 1 Payload Delivery System– the Typhon SMRF— which holds four strike-length VLS launchers on an internal erector. While the ASC doesn’t have the radars and fire control to push a SM-6 (unlessed linked to a DDG/CG), she could theoretically carry a mix of up to 32 vertical launch ASROC (cued by MH60 LAMPS), TLAMs, or anti-ship Tomahawks in such launchers.

That’s interesting.

Of course, I would like a 57mm Mk 110 (or even a 5-incher) forward, and at least a CIWS or Sea-Ram aft, in addition to the Mk 70 possibilities, but that’s just me.

I hope it all works out.

Warship Comings and Goings

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The past week has been a very busy one when it comes to new warships coming online and old ones getting the (sometimes hard) goodbye.

Comings

The future Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Ted Stevens (DDG 128), equipped with the new-to-the-fleet AN/SPY-6 (V)1 radar and Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System, recently completed her builder’s sea trials. 

Stevens will be commissioned in Alaska in May or June 2026 as she honors the former senator from that state.

Ingalls delivered the first Flight III, USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), in June 2023 and has five others under construction. In all seriousness, these should probably be re-classified as Lucas-class cruisers (CG) as they are stepping into the AAW boss role in carrier battle groups left vacant by the retirement of the Ticonderogas.

Speaking of Flight III Burkes, the future USS Louis H. Wilson Jr (DDG 126) was christened on Bath Iron Works’ drydock over the weekend.

She was sponsored and christened by the daughter of Mississippi-born General Louis H. Wilson Jr., USMC, who served as the Twenty-Sixth Commandant of the Marine Corps during its immediate post-Vietnam rebuilding process. Wilson was no slouch when it came to valor, having earned a MoH while leading a rifle company of the Ninth Marines on Guam in 1944 at the ripe old age of 24.

When it comes to another storied WWII vet, the 82-year-old Gato-class fleet boat USS Cobia (SS-245) is looking great after a dry docking at Fincantieri shipyard. Among other things, she has blasted, primed, and coated with 1,945 gallons of paint, and her sea chests have been cleared of mussels and blanked off with metal plates. A leak was also found in main ballast tank 2, which was drained, cleaned, and repaired.

Her $1.5 million refresh is scheduled to take six weeks and keep her ship-shape for another 25 years, after which she will go back on display at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc around mid-October.

Cobia was last dry-docked in the fall of 1996, which tracks.

Goings

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) was officially decommissioned during a ceremony onboard Naval Station Norfolk on Sept. 25, 2025. Commissioned in 1989, she has given 36 years of hard service and is the second U.S. Navy warship to carry the name.

Now, only seven of the 27 Ticos are still in active service, with another 15, all decommissioned since 2022, nominally in the Reserve Fleet. Five earlier non-VLS Ticos have all been disposed of.

Finally, the retired Norwegian Olso-class (modified Dealy class DEs) frigate KNM Bergen (F301) was disposed of in a sinkex off the coast of her homeland last month.

There is some confusion over whether she was sunk by a torpedo from the Ula-class submarine KNM Uthaug (S 304) or a Quickstrike delivered by a visiting USAF B-2. As some of the photos released by the Norwegian Navy are clearly taken via periscope, it may be a combination of the two.

It is known that a visiting B-2A “Spirit of Indiana” (82-1069), accompanied by a Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35A Lightning II and P-8A Poseidon aircraft, did use a 2,000-pound class GBU-31 JDAM (Quicksink variant) against “a maritime target” off Andøya in the Norwegian Sea, on 3 September, so this may have been against ex-Bergen.

Either way, it was a dramatic end to the 2,000-ton frigate, which served faithfully on the front lines of the Cold War from 1967 to 2005.

Advancing to new finds

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With the expansion inland from the Inchon beaches and the breakout from the Pusan Perimeter in late September 1950, the North Korean People’s Army was broken.

Kim Il Sung’s ruined regiments, after three months of non-stop fighting and thousands of sorties from Allied airpower, had been reduced from 220,000 troops to around 70,000 effectives, and were outnumbered by UN ground forces by more than 2:1 by this point in the war, with the latter growing stronger every day.

Members of the 5th Marine Regt. are welcomed by a greeting party of South Koreans as they move to the front lines near the Han River to engage in action against the North Korean forces, in an offensive launched by U.S. troops in that area. 18 September 1950. Photographer: Sgt. Herbert Nutter. SC 348694

Cpl. Ulysess J. Breaux of Breaux Bridge, La.; Cpl. Roy L. Guice of Rioneer, La.; and Pvt. David L. Cordova of Los Angeles, Calif., zeroed in their .30 caliber water-cooled machine gun on the line 23 miles southwest of Inchon, Korea. 19 September 1950. Photographer: Cpl. Alex Klein. SC 348698

ROK Marines move toward the Han River from the Kimpo air strip aboard DUKWs of the 1st Marine Div., in an offensive launched by UN forces against the North Korean enemy forces in that area. 20 September 1950. SC 348704

The 24th Infantry Division of the Eighth Army enters Taejon on 28 September 1950, returning to the scene of their earlier battles. National Archives Identifier 348337951

The next two months saw a steady advance while the North Koreans retreated, with Seoul liberated on 26 September and the ROK Army crossing the 38th Parallel into their northern neighbor’s territory on 1 October, with British and American forces following a week later.

What they encountered was the remnants of a smashed Communist fighting force, and often vehicles never seen up close by Western eyes of the era, outside of May Day parades.

While the North Korean force had invaded as an armored fist with a spearhead of 150 Soviet-made T-34-85s, it left the South largely on foot.

The captured equipment was a boon to Western intelligence, which, familiar with the T-34-76 from 1945 link-ups in the ETO and captured German intelligence files, was eager to examine some newer models and how they fared against NATO weapon systems.

A Soviet-built T-34/85 tank was knocked out during the Battle of Taejon, and later recovered by the same unit, a testament to the stand of Maj. Gen. William F. Dean, commanding the U.S. 24th Infantry Division.

Result of a napalm bomb on an enemy T-34 tank guarding the main road to Waegwan, Korea. 20 September 1950. Photographer: Cpl. George J. Myers. SC 348914

Men of the 5th RCT pose on a Russian-made SU-76 (self-propelled gun) with the back section of the turret blown off, captured from North Koreans in the Waegwan area, Korea. 20 September 1950. Photographer: Cpl. George J. Myers. SC 348915

T-34 tank destroyed by 5th Marines on the road to Kimpo Airfield, 17 September 1950. From the Oliver P. Smith Collection (COLL/213), Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections

A wrecked T-34 tank on a collapsed bridge span somewhere near Suwon or Osan, September 1950

Soviet-built T-34-85 tank captured by the U.S. Army’s 27th Infantry Regiment “Wolfhounds” (25th ID) from North Korean forces, September 1950.

Further, the advancing troops came across the “ghost bridges” used by the Norks to create nearly bomb-proof submerged crossings over rivers, which were thrown up after UN airstrikes and retreating U.S. engineers had dropped the peacetime bridges. A classic Soviet Red Army technique, especially when operating in an area with questionable air superiority, the tactic still worked.

They were almost impossible to spot from the air when not in active use and harder to knock out.

2.5-ton trucks cross a river by an underwater bridge, eight miles northwest of Taegu, Korea, on their way to the front line during the Korean War, September 16, 1950. Underwater bridges are a useful way of avoiding being spotted from the air.

M-26 tanks of the 6th Tank Bn.., 24th Inf. Div. crossing the Kumho River on an underwater crossing, consisting of rocks and sandbags reinforcing the riverbed as the 24th Inf. Div. advances against the North Korean forces along the Naktong River. 18 September 1950. Photographer: Pfc. Lonnie Butler SC 348668

M-26 tanks of the 6th Tank Bn.., 24th Inf. Div. crossing the Kumho River on an underwater crossing, consisting of rocks and sandbags reinforcing the riverbed as the 24th Inf. Div. advances against the North Korean forces along the Naktong River. 18 September 1950. Photographer: Pfc. Lonnie Butler SC 348669

The advance would continue, with the U.S. Eighth Army moving up the east coast of the Korean peninsula from Pusan while the Marines and the 7th Infantry would leapfrog up the west coast, the two forces bisected by the 300-mile-long Taebaek Mountain range, into which many of the remaining North Korean formations withdrew.

By 18 October, ROK forces captured Hamnung and Hugnam, while the North Korean capital of Pyongyang was captured by Eighth Army on the 19th.

However, by 25 October, with some forward elements in sight of the Yalu River, the lines solidified and, in a few days, the “Victory” and “Home by Christmas” talk would be dashed as the conflict became an entirely different war.

Looks like the ACV is really happening

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How about this photo series recently posted by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, showing operational Marine Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACVs) at play from a big ‘phib.

An amphibious combat vehicle with Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, launches from amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 14, 2025. Elements of the 11th MEU embarked Boxer to conduct integrated training off the coast of Camp Pendleton, California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph Helms)

A U.S. Marine Corps amphibious combat vehicle with Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, conducts an open-water transit prior to embarking the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 14, 2025. Elements of the 11th MEU embarked Boxer to conduct integrated training off the coast of Camp Pendleton, California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph Helms)

U.S. Marine Corps amphibious combat vehicles with Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepare to embark the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 14, 2025. Elements of the 11th MEU embarked Boxer to conduct integrated training off the coast of Camp Pendleton, California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph Helms)

Based on the Italian Iveco SuperAV 8×8, the BAE-produced ACV is the replacement for the troubled and long-serving (circa 1972) AAVP-7A1, the last of the Marine Corps amtracs.

These guys:

The legacy AAVP7.. AAV7A1 assault amphibious vehicles transport Marines with 2d Assault Amphibian Battalion and 1st Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, both with 2d Marine Division, for a wet-gap amphibious crossing as part of a company-sized infiltration on Camp Lejeune, N.C., Aug. 10, 2021. The infiltration focused on maneuvering across complex terrain and picket lines with near-peer capabilities in an unscripted force-on-force scenario. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jacqueline C. Arre)

Whereas the 29 ton AAVP-7A1 was a giant (26 foot long, 11 tall and wide) bread box that was clad in 45mm of armor and was good for 45mph on surfaced roads and 7 knots in the water, the even heavier (32 ton) and larger (30 feet by 10 by 10) ACV can carry about half the personnel (13 Marine passengers vs 21) but can at least do it faster, with a published speed of 65mph on paved roads and 6 knots on the water.

The Corps announced the delivery of the 300th ACV at its BAE production facility in York, Pennsylvania, earlier this month. That’s about half of the way to the finish line of 623 vehicles, based on the latest program of record, to equip its three active and one reserve Assault Amphibian Battalions.

Pig Safari

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Some 40 years ago this month, September 1985: “A Marine aboard the battleship USS Iowa (BB 61), armed with an M60 machine gun, participate in a self-defense force test during Exercise Ocean Safari ’85.”

Note the stern 16″/50 triple gun turret in the foggy Atlantic background and the battleship’s new Douglas fir deck which replaced her WWII-era teak. PH1 Jeff Hilton. 330-CFD-DN-ST-86-02496

Note the Woodland M81 pattern camo, and new PASGT kevlar frag vest (but not a K-pot, still rocking the WWII-era M1 steel helmet). The M60 appears to be a Vietnam standard “Pig” model. Around this time the Corps was replacing these heavy guns with the pared-down M60E3 which shaved a few pounds and, post-Desert Storm, would ultimately move (slowly) to the FN Mag 58 M240G variant in the 1990s.

As for Marine Dets on battleships and carriers, they went the way of the M60 in 1998.

For reference, the MarDet on Iowa in 1942 was 110 men, and by 1985 had shrunk to just 58.

Their jobs in the 1980s were primarily to man the ship’s eight M2 .50 cal mounts as well as the 27-member crew for Mount 55– their dedicated 5″/38 Mk 28 twin turret– spearhead the ship’s reaction force, as well as provide a guard for the skipper and admiral (if aboard) and protect any “special weapons” that may or may not have ever been carried by the battleships. 

USCG Ups 154-foot Cutter Buy to 77 Hulls, PSU Boat Raiders, and HITRON Marks 1,000 ‘kills’

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The Coast Guard’s 2004 Program of Record for its planned Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter (FRC) program was “24 to 36 hulls.”

That was then.

Envisioned to replace 49 aging 110-foot 1980-90s vintage Island class patrol cutters (WPBs), 12 of which had been ruined in a botched lengthening modification, the new ships would be 30 percent longer, at 154-feet, and nearly twice the tonnage.

110-foot Island class cutters compared to the new 154-foot Sentinel (Webber) class FRCs

Powered by two 5,800 shp MTU diesels (double the plant of the 110s), the FRCs also had 50 percent greater unrefueled range (2,900nm vs 1,882nm), a much better cutter boat (a stern dock launched jet drive 26-footer vs a davit deployed 18-footer with an outboard), better habitability, sensors, commo, and better guns (a gyro-stabilized remote fired Mk 38 Mod 2/3 25mm with an EO/IR sensor system and 4-6 M2s/Mk19s vs an unstabilized eyeball-trained Mk 38 Mod 0 and two M2s).

Plus, they had larger crews, at 4 officers, 4 POs, and 16 ratings, vs 2/2/12, which meant more hands could be sent away on landing details.

This meant they would be rated as WPCs instead of WPBs, akin to the Navy’s similar 170-foot Cyclone-class PCs.

MIAMI — The Coast Guard Cutter Webber, the Coast Guard’s first Sentinel Class patrol boat, arrives at Coast Guard Sector Miami Feb. 9, 2012. The 154-foot Webber is a Fast Response Cutter capable of independently deploying to conduct missions such as ports, waterways, and coastal security, fishery patrols, drug and illegal migrant law enforcement, search and rescue, and national defense along the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Caribbean. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Sabrina Elgammal.

The lead FRC delivered, USCGC Bernard C. Webber (WPC-1101), commissioned in April 2012, while the last 110s to leave Coast Guard service did so this summer, at which point the FRCs, which have proven extremely handy, even on long-ranging blue water cruises in the Pacific, had 58 hulls in service with another nine under contract.

A big jump from 24-36!

The truth is, the USCG is pressing these new 154-footers into the gap left by their aging 210-270-foot blue-water medium-endurance cutter fleet. Mission whackamole.

Classmember USCGC Oliver Berry (WPC-1124) completed a nearly 9,300-nautical-mile, 45-day round-trip patrol from Hawaii to Guam in 2020 and followed it up with a 46-day patrol in 2024. At the same time, several of these hulls are self-deploying 7,700 miles from Key West to new home ports in Alaska.

There have been repeated calls for the Navy to purchase members of the class for use in littoral operations, as the cutter has sufficient weight and space to mount a Naval Strike Missile box launcher with four tubes at the stern.

Now, the CG has upped the $65 million per-cutter Sentinel class program to 77 hulls, with a 10-ship buy announced this week.

“Since its introduction to the fleet in 2012 as the successor to the 110-foot Island class patrol boat, the Fast Response Cutter has consistently proven its capabilities, adaptability, and effectiveness in a wide range of maritime environments and Coast Guard missions,” said RADM Mike Campbell, the Coast Guard’s Director of Systems Integration and Chief Acquisition Officer.

PSU Boat Raiders!

As part of Arctic Edge 2025, an element of 3rd Bn, 4th Marines, 1st MARDIV teamed up with Long Beach, California-based USCGR Port Security Unit 311 to use their 32-foot Transportable Port Security Boats to conduct a boat raid on a “simulated enemy port” at Port Mackenzie, Alaska.

A sort of budget SWCC/SEAL kind of arrangement.

The SWCC we have at home, if you will.

U.S. Coast Guardsmen with Port Security Unit 311, and U.S. Marines with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, depart after conducting an amphibious raid on a simulated enemy port during ARCTIC EDGE 2025 (AE25) at Port Mackenzie, Alaska, Aug. 13, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Earik Barton)

U.S. Coast Guardsmen with Port Security Unit 311, and U.S. Marines with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, conduct an amphibious raid on a simulated enemy port during ARCTIC EDGE 2025 (AE25) at Port Mackenzie, Alaska, Aug. 13, 2025. The raid was conducted to demonstrate joint-service interoperability in an austere environment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Earik Barton)

U.S. Coast Guardsmen with Port Security Unit 311, and U.S. Marines with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, conduct an amphibious raid on a simulated enemy port during ARCTIC EDGE 2025 (AE25) at Port Mackenzie, Alaska, Aug. 13, 2025. The raid was conducted to demonstrate joint-service interoperability in an austere environment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Earik Barton)

U.S. Coast Guardsmen with Port Security Unit 311, and U.S. Marines with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, conduct an amphibious raid on a simulated enemy port during ARCTIC EDGE 2025 (AE25) at Port Mackenzie, Alaska, Aug. 13, 2025. The raid was conducted to demonstrate joint-service interoperability in an austere environment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Earik Barton)

Keep in mind that something like this could be in the toolbox in a future conflict.

Capable of 45 knots on a pair of inboard diesels, the TPSBs carry two .50 cals and two M240B GPMGs. Girded with ballistic panels, they have shock-mitigating seats and can carry as many as eight passengers in addition to a four-man crew. It looks like each carried a half-squad or so of Marines. Each PSU has six TPSBs, allowing a theoretical raid force of 72, exclusive of crews.

The boats have an over-the-horizon capability and range of 238nm, meaning they can be used as an easily deployable blocking/interdiction force in a littoral if needed.

HITRON hits 1K

Finally, the U.S. Coast Guard’s Jacksonville-based Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) achieved a significant milestone in its counter-drug mission, completing its 1,000th interdiction of suspected narco-trafficking vessels on 25 August.

Since its founding in 1999, HITRON has interdicted $33.2 billion in illicit drugs during operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, and over the past 26 years, it has averaged one interdiction every nine days.

Not bad numbers for less than 200 Coasties, including reservists and auxiliaries, and a dozen MH-65E Dolphins, whose base airframes are 40 years old!

Coast Guard crews from the Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron, Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team – South, Coast Guard Cutter Midgett (WMSL 757), helicopter tie-down members, and unmanned aerial vehicle personnel pose for a group photo aboard Midgett from behind three bullet-damaged outboard engine cowlings while underway in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, Aug. 28, 2025. On Aug. 25, HITRON used airborne use of force to stop the non-compliant vessel, marking the unit’s 1,000th drug interdiction since the unit’s inception in 1999, which resulted in Midgett crew members seizing approximately 3,606 pounds of suspected cocaine worth an estimated $46 million and apprehending six suspected narco-traffickers. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Red Devil Crusaders

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With the 100th anniversary of the Red Devils recently, these two great images from its bad old Crusader Days in Vietnam felt appropriate. While the F-8 was a gunfighter built for speed, when used as a low altitude strike aircraft, it took heavy losses.

Official caption “Poised for Action: An ordnance-laden F-8E Crusader jet of Marine All-Weather Fighter Squadron 232 [VMF (AW)-232] stands ready on the Marine Aircraft Group 11 [MAG-11] flight line (official USMC photo by T. J. Mercurio).” From the Jonathan Abel Collection (COLL/3611), Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections.

“On the Way: An F-8E Crusader jet of Marine All Weather Attack Squadron 232 [VMF (AW)-232] launches on a scramble mission in support of Marine ground forces south of Da Nang (official USMC photo by Staff Sergeant Bill Fisher).” From the Jonathan Abel Collection (COLL/3611), Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections.

The above airframe, Bu150316, WT Red 17, was damaged by ground fire over South Vietnam on 4 May 4  1967. The plane made it to the South China Sea, where the pilot (Major Edward F. Townley) ejected and was rescued by a helicopter.

As noted by the unit history:

The squadron, flying the newer F-8E Crusader, which it received in August 1966, began full combat operations in December. The F-8E was similar to the F-8D but with higher-performance radar, which, being mounted in the nose section, changed the appearance slightly.

By the end of the month, VMF(AW)-232 had flown 571 sorties while delivering 418 tons of ordnance to enemy targets; four aircraft had received hits, and the Red Devil pilots had become familiar with the I and H Corps area as well as portions of the area north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

During the first 4 months of 1967, 19 more F-8Es were hit. In most cases, the damage was caused by a single small arms round and was easily repaired. Most importantly, no pilots were injured, but in May and June, the Red Devils were not quite as fortunate.

On 4 May, Major Edward F. Townley’s jet was hit as it circled over a suspected enemy position. Soon, the fighter was heading seaward, trailing fire and smoke. Major Townley was ejected and recovered uninjured.

On the 19th, the first Red Devil was killed in action, and the squadron lost its second aircraft. While flying a direct air support mission, Captain Harold J. Hellbach reported receiving fire over the target area. As the pilot turned toward the sea, the jet suddenly pitched nose up and then entered a dive, exploding when it hit the ground about 6 miles from the target area.

On 21 June, Major Charles L. Cronkrite, who, after his transfer from 232 to the group staff, continued flying with the Red Devils, was killed. After experiencing mechanical difficulties, Major Cronkrite ejected, and “it was suspected that the pilot was unconscious when he hit the water.”

July was a better month in that no one was killed or injured, but one aircraft was lost on the 2nd when Major Bruce A. Martin ejected after his plane was hit.

Two other F-8s were destroyed on 15 July as a result of an enemy rocket attack on Da Nang.

August marked the last month of the unit’s combat tour, and on the 30th, when the last plane landed, the Red Devils had amassed totals of 5,785 sorties, 7,273 flight hours, and 6,271 tons of ordnance expended.

The Red Devils received their first two-seater F-4B/J Phantoms on 19 September 1967 and, as VMFA-232, deployed with them back to Vietnam in March 1969.

Navy goes huge on APKWS II

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One of the big takeaways from the off and on two-year fight with the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Bab-el-Mandeb is that the AGR-20 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, or APKWS, is damned handy.

Taking your basic Becky level unguided Hydra 70 2.75-inch rocket (which is fundamentally just an update of the WWII era Mk 4/Mk 40 “Might Mouse” Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket), and adding a Distributed Aperture Semi-Active Laser Seeker (DASALS) laser guidance kit, the APKWS suddenly turns into a 33-pound laser-guided precision-kill munition with a 10-pound HE warhead and a “published range” of 11,500 yards.

Plus, they are cheap, at about $30K a pop, which is peanuts for guided ordnance, running a third the cost of even bulk buy Hellfires. Then consider an AIM-9X Sidewinder costs $1.3 million.

And, besides the traditional rotary-wing (AH-1W, UH-1Y, MH-60S/R) and Harrier platforms in USMC/USN service, it has been vetted on the F-18C/D loaded in twin seven-cell LAU-68 F/A pods since 2018.

The USAF has been going APKWS heavy in recent months, with both F-16s and F-15s photographed with six LAU-131A pods, giving them 42 rockets on tap with extra pylons left over for Sidewinders, targeting pods, and fuel tanks.

Several have returned from deployment with drone “kills” stenciled on their sides, which is a telltale of lessons learned.

F-15E from the 389th FS “Thunderbolts” carrying six LAU-131A rocket pods

Further, L3 Harris has the super low-cost Vampire SAM SHORAD system, which uses quad-packed APKWS that can be mounted on a truck or small (think 25-foot) boat or USV.

It has been very useful in Ukraine.

And don’t even forget to mention the recent tests at Dugway Proving Grounds by BAE of a small (250 pounds, with half that being payload) Malloy TRV-150 UAV VTOL air cargo drone (which is being trialed by the Marines for carrying “Speedball” style battlefield resupply packets) paired with an APKWS.

So you see, between much more use in counter-drone work via F-18s and MH-60s, traditional ground support work by AH-1s and UH-1s, potential use as bolt-on SHORAD systems for assets like LCS and LPDs, and use in UAVs and USVs, the Navy wants a whole lot more APKWS on hand (with extras for the Army and friends overseas), because you never know.

Yesterday’s contract announcement (emphasis mine):

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Warfare Systems, Hudson, New Hampshire, is awarded a $1,743,038,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the production and delivery of up to 55,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II Full Rate Production Lots 13-17 in support of upgrading the current 2.75-inch Rocket System to a semi-active laser guided precision weapon for the Navy, Army, and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work will be performed in Hudson, New Hampshire (31%); Whippany, New Jersey (22%); Plymouth, United Kingdom (16%); Austin, Texas (7%); Bristol, Pennsylvania (3%); Rochester, New York (3%); Kitchener, Ontario, Canada (2%); Westminster, Maryland (2%); Ronan, Montana (2%); Topsfield, Massachusetts (2%); Pomfret, Connecticut (2%); Danbury, Connecticut (2%); Anaheim, California (1%); Tempe, Arizona (1%); Ipswich, Massachusetts (1%); Centennial, Colorado (1%); Carson, California (1%); and Boston, Massachusetts (1%), and is expected to be in completed December 2031. No funds will be obligated at the time of award, funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0001925D0018).

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