COMBATANT CRAFT MEDIUM (CCM), MK 1

[Grey Havoc]

Because of a little disagreement over in Naval Projects, I did a bit more digging on this program and found some interesting facts that I thought merited a new topic (here for the moment, rather than Military, since the prototypes don't seem to have been built yet).

The Combatant Craft, Heavy, appears to have died sometime early in 2008. As a replacement for the Mk Vs, it was replaced by the requirement for the CCM Mk 1 (initial RFP issued as DRFP H92222-09-R-0002 on November 19th, 2008). The program has undergone quite a few changes since then, including the cancellation of the original solicitation in April 2010 and the eventual issuing of a new solicitation under the same program name. Interestingly enough the new requirements are supposed to be totally divorced from the original program, e.g. C-130 internal air transport or airdrop is no longer required. Instead, the "craft, trailer, and prime mover shall be capable of internal air transport on C-17 and larger aircraft (threshold = objective). There is no airdrop or tactical transport requirement."

Description: The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)Combatant Craft Medium Program Management Office (CCM PMO) is pursuing solutions for the design/build of Special Operations Combatant Craft, Medium (CCM) Mk 1 systems (craft, trailer, prime mover). The CCM Mk 1 craft will replace the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) as a utilitarian go-to-war craft without the design constraints of C-130 internal air transport or airdrop. The primary mission of CCM Mk 1 is insertion/extraction of Special Operations Forces (SOF) in medium threat environments. The CCM Mk 1 will support other core SOF tasks to include direct action; special reconnaissance; combating terrorism; foreign internal defense; unconventional warfare; preparation of the environment; combating narco-terrorism; personnel recovery; and visit, board, search, and seizure.

It would appear that the new program is intended as a replacement for the RIBs as well as to supplement (but not replace) the Mk Vs [TomS was right there]. Threshold requirements for cruise speed, range, variable payload, and personnel capacity are bounded as follows:

NSW RIB
Personnel Capacity: Three crew and nine passengers
Range: 200 NM
Cruise Speed: 32 knots (Sea State 2)
Variable Payload: 3200 pounds (excluding fuel)


Mk V SOC
Personnel Capacity: Six crew and 15 passengers
Range: 600 NM
Cruise Speed: 40 knots (Sea State 3)
Variable Payload: 10,000 pounds (excluding fuel)

 

[TomS]

CCH remains in the FY12 budget request, albeit only at the "planning" stage. However, the same document days that CCM Mk 1 is to replace Mk V SOC as well as the NSW RIB. I'd guess they mean only some of the Mk Vs, possibly because with CCH being delayed, some Mk Vs are going to age out without possibility of a direct replacement.

http://www.dtic.mil/descriptivesum/Y2012/Other/stamped/1160484BB_7_PB_2012.pdf

Also, they just awarded contracts for CCM Mk 1 test boats this week to Oregon Iron Works and United States Marine. Both have a history of special operations small craft development.

http://www.marinelog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1410:2011sep00302&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=107