By Calvin Biesecker
Following approval from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) earlier this month to proceed with low-rate initial production (LRIP), the Coast Guard yesterday awarded Bollinger Shipyards a $141 million to produce three 154-foot Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters (FRC).
The contract option follows an initial $88 million award given to Bollinger in September 2008 for the lead Sentinel (Defense Daily, Sept. 29, 2008). A subsequent protest of the award was denied although the resolution process delayed the program by about three months.
The FRC contract is valued at up to $1.5 billion if all 34 vessels are purchased. The service plans to buy at least 24 cutters.
The next contract option is anticipated to be awarded in the summer of 2010. That option will be for either four or six cutters although Congress appropriated $243 million in FY ’10 for four vessels.
Approval for LRIP by the DHS Acquisition Review Board was preceded by a successful Critical Design Review of FRC last month (Defense Daily, Nov. 25).
The FRC is based on a proven design, the Damen Stan Patrol 4708. The lead Sentinel will be home ported in Miami and is expected to be delivered to the Coast Guard in the third quarter of FY ’11.
The FRC has a required flank speed of 28 knots and must be able to operate independently for at least five days at sea and a minimum of 2,500 hours per year.
L-3 Communications [LLL] is a major subcontractor to Bollinger on the FRC, supplying the command, control, communications and computer systems.