Guns for Ukrainian Island Class Patrol Boats.

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Ukrainian Navy Island-class patrol boats, formerly of the U.S. Coast Guard, conduct maritime security operations in the Black Sea off the coast of Odesa, Ukraine.
UKRAINIAN NAVY

This was on the U.S. Department of Defense Daily Digest Bulletin for Aug. 7, 2023.

Safe Boats International LLC,* Bremerton, Washington, is awarded a $22,271,829 firm-fixed-price modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-21-C-2201 for the exercise of options for procurement and installation of six Gun Weapon Systems onto the Island Class patrol boats with spares. Work will be performed in Tacoma, Washington, and is expected to be completed by October 2024. Foreign Military Financing (Ukraine) funds in the amount of $22,271,829 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Awarded Aug. 3, 2023)

Five Island class 110 foot patrol boats were transferred to Ukraine.  One of them has been sunk.

Previously vessels of this class were armed with crew served Soviet era 25 mm guns.

This is reported as modification of an existing contract, so I presume at least one vessel has already been rearmed. Thinking two guns per vessel, then six gun systems will go on three additional vessels. So, at least four ships with two guns each. Presumably, they would be 25 or 30 mm guns, hopefully the new 30mm Mk38 Mod4.

The announcement does say, “Work will be performed in Tacoma, Washington, and is expected to be completed by October 2024.” If this is true, these are additional boats. The Coast Guard still has many available for transfer. It is also possible there might be only one gun per vessel. All we know for sure is in the quote above.

In Dec. 2019 there was a suggestion that these vessels might be fitted with anti-ship cruise missiles, but there has been nothing further to indicate it has or will happened.

6 thoughts on “Guns for Ukrainian Island Class Patrol Boats.”

  2. It’s nice the US is putting light guns on these, but doubt that makes these PBs useful at all. If they could get Neptune AShM or NSM (Poland is looking at selling them to Ukraine, but it’s the land-based version, so…), these old cutters would have a chance at doing something meaningful. I’m guessing with the date the work is to be completed by, the real intention is to give them a post war light PB.

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      • It might seem like a good idea, but with FPV drones, artillery, BM-21 rockets, and more sophisticated missile systems, a 110 with a 30mm will just be a great target in a river.

        The only hope Ukraine has for a river crossing is a strong anti-air dome along with concentrated artillery and counter-battery rocket systems. The Ukrainians already have two small lodgements across the river.

  4. Pretty sure these will be fitted with Mk38 Mod4’s, the unit price $3.7m and the identical contract no. to the Safe Boats contract for the fitting the Mk VI patrol boats with Mk38 Mod4’s supports this.

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