Page 34: of Marine News Magazine (November 2024)

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Military Craft said. “This vessel has a huge reduction in cases of seasickness.” commercial partner AIRCAT will soon unveil other com-

When translated to defense, it means a more stable mercial variants for use in offshore energy, including their platform for weapons, drones, counter-drone systems and AIRCAT 25 CrewLiner and AIRCAT 25 WindFarmer.

other capabilities. Eureka’s vessels rely almost entirely on commercial-off-

Jardine said the vessels can be optionally designed to the-shelf systems which have existing OEM global support operate without crews in an unmanned remote and/or au- networks for parts or servicing. They are also highly cus- tonomous mode. tomizable and can be out? tted in line with end user needs.

“AIRCAT Bengal can be a terri? c counter-drone platform, Eureka envisions making its vessel designs available for as well as a MEDEVAC vessel,” Jardine said. “We can sail our build in multiple shipyards to maximize production in a vessel up on to the beach in a contested littoral area to pick contingency, much like Andrew Jackson Higgins did with up wounded personnel, provide care on board and quickly his landing craft and PT boats, which were built in very large move the injured troops to a higher level of care. We can set numbers, during World War II. “Those boats were built up spaces for medical triage and treatment, and the doors and quickly and ef? ciently, and they were based on proven com- corridors are wide enough to accommodate a stokes litter.” mercial technology. We want to bring in the next generation

SES is not a new technology. The U.S. Navy and Nor- of these types of vessels. We’ve taken our hulls and turned way have a lot of experience with SES vessels, and the U.S. them into what I would call the modern-day equivalent of

Coast Guard has also used them. “We think this kind of Higgin’s PT boats and landing craft. We even have an au- vessel is ideal for the Coast Guard’s high-speed interdiction tonomous variant than can operate with or without a crew.” missions,” Jardine said. Jardine said. “Furthermore, our boats draw very little water “Our craft are an evolution beyond the Norwegian Na- and are highly maneuverable in shallow littoral waters and vy’s Skjold-class corvettes. However, they have some of the can go where rigid-hull in? atable boats (RHIB) operate.” same combat systems on board, including Rheinmetall’s Eureka’s forming partners include AIRCAT Vessels of

MASS naval self-defense system,” Jardine said. Bayonne, France; ESNA Naval Architects, Kristiansand,

Eureka’s defense vessels have similar SES hulls as the Norway; 1852 Solutions Ltd, Houston, Texas; and Trident fully tested commercial hulls in service, and the company’s Offshore Projects, Houston, Texas.

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