The U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class fast response cutters USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145) and USCGC Charles Moulthrope (WPC 1141) transit Jakarta Bay into the Java Sea alongside Indonesian Navy fast attack craft KRI Siwar (646) and KRI Beladau (643) in support of exercise Super Garuda Shield 2026, Sept. 5, 2026. Indonesian Navy photo

Just a short note from the USNI News Western Pacific Pulse: Sept. 11, 2026.

Coast Guard cutters USCGC Charles Moulthrope (WPC-1141) and USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC-1145) transited the Java Sea on Saturday with Indonesian Navy fast attack craft KRI Beladau (643) and KRI Siwar (646) in support of exercise Super Garuda Shield 2026.

The two Indonesian fast attack craft are a bit smaller than the FRCs, but better armed including a Russian designed 30mm Gatling gun and Chinese anti-ship cruise missiles.

The Russian USV can be positively identified as an improved Orcan type. It was sunk by the Ukrainian Navy Sargan-3000 USV.

This may be a historic first. Naval News reports,

“For the first time in history, an uncrewed surface drone (USV – uncrewed surface vessel) has destroyed another USV in combat. The Ukrainian Navy Sargan-3000 USV, operating on intelligence from the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), interdicted a Russian attack USV in the Black Sea. The Russian naval drone was sunk.”

From the Coast Guard’s perspective, it seems this defensive use of a USV might be significant.

Based on some of the video, It appears the Ukrainian USV was probably directed to the target by an unmanned air vehicle.

Family of crew members stationed aboard USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) wait to greet their returning loved ones at Coast Guard Base Honolulu, Sept. 8, 2026. The crew of the Joseph Gerczak participated in Operation Blue Pacific, working alongside Pacific Island partners to bolster maritime security and sovereignty, counter illicit maritime activities and protect vital marine resources. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Mikaela McGee)

Below is a District Oceania news release. These long patrols by 154′ patrol craft are becoming routine, but I am still impressed. These patrols really demonstrate that these little ships are doing jobs that previously would have required a medium endurance cutter.

52 days is more than ten times the FRC’s nominal endurance and 7,500 miles is three times the ship’s nominal range.

The Fletcher laser guided rocket launcher fires BAE’s 2.75 inch laser guided rockets known as the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System. (Shawn Snow/Defense News Staff). VAMPIRE includes sensors, fire control, and potentially access to sensor networks. 

Below is a news release from L3 Harris. None of the reports I have seen provides much detail. How many systems? What platform will use them? Concept of operation?

This local report does seem to suggest there are going to be lots of these systems.

The company began high-volume production of VAMPIRE at its Huntsville manufacturing facility earlier this year in response to growing demand from the United States and allied militaries. The Huntsville operation handles assembly, testing and integration of the systems.

BAE has already produced 100,000 APKWS kits and has a capacity of 25,000 per year.

That they are not being specific about where these systems are going may simply mean they are going to a lot of different types of installations–mounted on trucks, in containers, and specifically we can infer that many will be going afloat since there is specific reference to “the environmental stresses of maritime environments.”

If these are intended to protect port facilities, then perhaps in addition to Coast Guard vessels providing protection from the waterside, perhaps Reserve Port Security units may need vehicle or container mounted systems.

I also have to wonder if there will be versions with more than four ready rounds.

These systems would also upgrade even smaller cutters’ anti-surface capability providing range and hitting power comparable to a 57mm gun with great precision.

MELBOURNE, Fla., Sept. 8, 2026 — L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has been selected by the U.S. Navy to deliver VAMPIRE™ counter-unmanned systems (C-UxS) in support of the U.S.’ growing integrated C-UxS defense architecture.

The VAMPIRE system is a self-contained weapons solution that delivers advanced reconnaissance and precision strike against drones and remotely piloted platforms across domains.

“VAMPIRE is a flexible and effective system that meets the unique requirements of the U.S. Navy for littoral C-UxS defense,” said Tony Calderon, President, Targeting & Sensor Systems, Communications & Spectrum Dominance, L3Harris. “We’re engineering new capabilities to adapt to our customers’ missions and ruggedizing VAMPIRE against the environmental stresses of maritime environments.”

L3Harris is also delivering VAMPIRE systems to the U.S. Army. Separately, the company unveiled its Wraith Shield™ software earlier this year, which provides a radio-as-a-sensor capability to defeat small drones and can be incorporated with VAMPIRE and Drone Guardian® systems to deliver layered defense against UxS threats.

Above is a US Naval Institute interview with the winner of both the first and third place winner of the Institute’s Coast Guard essay contest.

A lot of the discussion is about why the Coast Guard should establish a Coast Guard Yard, West, at Mare Island (Subject of the first place winning essay), but he goes on to advocate improving the military readiness of Coast Guard cutters and explains the Coast Guard’s relationship with the Navy.

This year’s Coast Guard issue was particularly good. We did have some discussion of it earlier. The two essays written by LCdr Blevins are linked below.

• Reclaim Mare Island as an NSC Center of Excellence
• Build Future Frigate Lethality on Coast Guard Cutters Now

CGAS Kodiak

You may not learn anything from the article, but it is nice to see someone telling our story to a wider audience.

For a broader view of Coast Guard aviation facilities, this report is still substantially current.

Mk38 Mod4 Gun Weapon System. MSI-Defense Systems

TWZ (The War Zone) brings us a report on the Mk38 Mod4. 

Apparently the USN still has made only one installation. As to the future,

“The Navy’s 2027 fiscal year budget request, released earlier this year, makes clear the plan is still to integrate the Mk 38 Mod 4 at least on all Flight IIA and Flight III subvariants of the Arleigh Burke destroyer. The Mk 38 Mod 4 is also set to be a feature on future U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers, which will also have combat systems derived from Aegis.”

Unfortunately not much new here and perhaps the news is that there is no news about this  being used on future cutters. I checked the MSI–Defense Systems US LCC web site and there has not been a news release about the system since April 2024.

It may be that, with the Navy replacing close to one hundred Mk38 Mod 2/3 with Mod4s on Burke class destroyers, the Navy will pass these replaced units on to the Offshore Patrol Cutters, Arctic Security Cutters, and the remaining FRCs rather than buy new Mod4 mounts. Even if that is the case, there is still the option of upgrading the gun to 30mm.

I asked AI, if the Coast Guard was getting the Mod4 system, and this is what I got.

Yes, the U.S. Coast Guard intends to acquire and field the Mk 38 Mod 4 Gun Weapon System (GWS), but strictly for specific new ship classes like the upcoming Polar Security Cutter (PSC) heavy icebreakers.

Key Details on the Adoption

• Platform Application: The 30mm Mk 38 Mod 4—which upgrades the traditional 25mm chain gun to a 30mm Northrop Grumman MK44 Bushmaster II with a coaxial .50-caliber machine gun and independent electro-optical sight—is slated for the Coast Guard’s heavy polar icebreakers.

• Wider Fleet Rollout: Aside from the Polar Security Cutters, the Coast Guard has indicated the system will go on “some new cutters,” but hasn’t designated a broader fleet-wide replacement.

• Existing Cutters: The Coast Guard has stated it has no plans to retrofit or replace current 25mm systems (such as the Mk 38 Mod 2/3 variants found on Fast Response Cutters) with the new Mod 4.

The Coast Guard really needs to upgrade its existing 25mm mounts to 30mm. As noted in the text,

“The Mk 38 Mod 4 Machine Gun System (MGS) is an upgrade … to address deficiencies in meeting Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) requirements,” the Navy has said in the past. “In addition, the upgrade will also improve performance against surface targets and maintain Anti-Terrorist / Force Protection capabilities.”

Looking at replacing the Mk38 Mod3’s 25mm gun with the 30mm Mk44 Bushmaster II might give us most of the advantages of the Mk38 Mod4 without the need replace the mount.

Below is a news release. 

USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC-1162) and USCGC Jeffrey Palazzo (WPC-1163)

Below is a notification to media of the commissioning of USCGC Jeffery Palazzo (WPC-1163). The little ship will ultimately go to Guam, but for now it will mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

Still frames from footage of a November 2025 lethal strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean as part of Operation Southern Spear. U.S. Southern Command

The Navy League’s on line magazine, Seapower, reports,

“U.S. officials spoke to the media yesterday regarding the progress of Operation Southern Spear — the large-scale U.S. military and counter-narco-terrorism campaign in the Western Hemisphere — one year after the operation launched in September 2025, saying the mission has been largely successful thus far.

“Of note, one official said U.S. Southern Command’s counternarcotics operations over the past year have driven record reductions in illicit maritime activity, with a 65% reduction in the Western Caribbean, a 60% reduction in the Eastern Caribbean and a nearly 50% reduction in key areas of the Eastern Pacific.”

It does seem the conflict has changed. There was a two month period in which SOUTHCOM’s Southern Spear task force made no lethal kinetic strikes on purported drug smuggling boats, then on August 23 and August 25 lethal kinetic strikes were made. Since then there have been three reported interceptions of refueling vessels.

• https://www.southcom.mil/News/PressReleases/Article/4589814/interdiction-of-narco-terrorist-refueling-vessel-sept-2-2026/
• https://www.southcom.mil/News/PressReleases/Article/4591068/interdiction-of-narco-terrorist-refueling-vessel-sept-3-2026/
• https://www.southcom.mil/News/PressReleases/Article/4591750/interdiction-of-narco-terrorist-refueling-vessel-sept-5-2026/

In at least two cases the vessels were towing several small boats. The reports did not indicate if any drugs were found on the refueling vessel of the towed small boats.

It may be too early to declare victory. As we have seen the past, squeeze the ballon in one place, it bulges out somewhere else.