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Home»News»Ukraine’s First MK VI Patrol Boat Breaks Cover

Ukraine's First MK VI Patrol Boat
The hull of the first Mk VI boat bound for Ukraine arriving at the SAFE
Boats facility in Tacoma. (Screenshot from Port of Tacoma's video)
Ukraine’s First MK VI Patrol Boat Breaks Cover
The hull of the first of eight MK VI patrol boats bound to Ukraine just
broke cover. A video published on 24 January by the Port of Tacoma shows
its transfer to a SAFE Boats facility for outfitting.
Tayfun Ozberk 26 Jan 2023
Tayfun Ozberk story with additional reporting by Xavier Vavasseur

Port of Tacoma underlined that the delivery was completed earlier this
month, but didn’t mention the exact date.

“This boat is the first of eight that SAFE Boats will be creating and
outfitting under contract with the U.S. Navy for Ukraine. They plan to
complete this commission by increasing their workforce by up to 75 new
positions, primarily at their Tacoma facility.”

Port of Tacoma
SAFE Boats receives first of 8 MK VI boats to outfit for Ukraine
The hull of the first Mk VI boat bound for Ukraine arriving at the SAFE
Boats facility in Tacoma. (Screenshot from Port of Tacoma’s video)
For the record, the United States’ State Department approved a possible
Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Government of Ukraine of up to 16
Mark VI Patrol Boats and related equipment for an estimated cost of $600
million back in June 2020. The U.S. Department of Defense on 5 January
2021 awarded SAFE Boats International a US$ 19 million order to start
production of Ukraine’s first two Mk VI Patrol Boats. Eight months later
NAVSEA awarded SAFE Boats International a US$ 84 million contract
modification for the delivery of six more Mk VI patrol boats, with an
option for an additional two boats.

Ukraine's First MK VI Patrol Boat
The hull of the first Mk VI boat bound for Ukraine arriving at the SAFE
Boats facility in Tacoma. (Screenshot from Port of Tacoma’s video)
As Naval News reported earlier this month, the U.S. Navy’s fleet of 12
MK VI Patrol Boats is no longer active. Pictures taken last Summer by
Chris Cavas show a number of the vessels stored at a Fairlead facility
in Newport News near Norfolk, Virginia.

A U.S. Navy spokesperson told us back in August 2021:

“The MK VIs will be returned to the Boat Inventory Manager in the
continental U.S. for final disposition. The Navy continues to assess
options for final disposition, including the potential transition to
another service or another U.S. government agency, nomination for
Foreign Military Sales, or placement into long-term storage.”

Meawhile, another type of patrol boat, the (smaller) 40 foot (12.2
meters) long ‘40 Defiant’ had already been delivered to the Ukrainian
Navy and are already patrolling the Black Sea. These were built by Metal
Shark in Franklin, Louisiana:

About Mk VI patrol boat
U.S. Navy’s Mark VI and 40-foot Patrol Boat Updates
The U.S. Navy’s Mark VI Patrol Boats are slated for divestment as they
were deemed “too expensive to maintain.” Heavily armed and fast, the
Mark VIs served with distinction in various roles and missions from
escorting large warships to intercepting vessels and smaller crafts.
Photo: U.S. Navy
The Mark VI is a class of patrol boat designed and built by SAFE Boats
international since 2015. Their main purposes are littoral and riverine
surveillance but is reconfigurable to embark special forces or medical
facility. The rear deck is able to launch and recover a small UAV or
UUV. The U.S. Navy is the only user of this class of boat and owns
twelve of them.

Main specifications

Displacement: 72 tonnes
Length: 25.8m
Draft: 20.5m
Propulsion: 2 x MTU 5200 horse power
Speed: 45 knots
Range: 750 nautical miles at 25 knots
Crew: 10
Weapons: 2 x MK 38 Mod 2 25mm chain guns. The mount can change depending
on the mission. According to the FMS notice, the Ukrainian Navy boats
will be fitted with the Mk44 Bushmaster II which is a 30mm chain gun.
TAGS Mk VI Ukraine
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AUTHORS

Posted by : Tayfun Ozberk
Tayfun Ozberk is a former naval officer who is expert in Above Water
Warfare especially in Littoral Waters. He has a Bachelor Degree in
Computer Science. After serving the Turkish Navy for 16 years, he
started writing articles for several media. Tayfun also offers analysis
services on global naval strategies. He's based in Mersin, Turkey.

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