The Coast Guard has been cleared to enter into full-rate production for its new Fast Response Cutter, the service said Wednesday.
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| A Sentinel-class cutter. Photo by U.S.C.G. |
The Department of Homeland Security gave the green light to go into full production for the Sentinel-class vessels on Sept. 18 following the successful completion of the Initial Operation Test and Evaluation phase.
Seven of the FRCs have been delivered to the Coast Guard and six have been commissioned. The Coast Guard plans to buy 58 of the vessels from builder Bollinger Shipyards in Louisiana.
One of the Sentinel cutters, the Robert Yered, participated in a multi-agency law enforcement anti-narcotics operation last summer in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands that resulted in the seizure of cocaine valued at $35 million.