The US Navy’s Special Warfare community has been very secretive about its latest stealth
boats employed by several special forces, such as the Navy SEALs, Green Berets, and
Marine Force Recon.
However, some of these boats have been recently spotted around the world during maritime exercises
with allied nations.
Special Operations Command or SOC employs three types of boats: the Combatant Craft
Assault, the Combatant Craft Medium, and the Combatant Craft Heavy or SEALION.
Each is explicitly tailored according to the mission and has unique state-of-the-art technology.
The boats can be launched from the decks of ships and sling-loaded into action by Chinook
helicopters.Their stealth features include retractable sensor and communications masts,
high-caliber machine guns, grenade launchers, armor plating, and composite materials that
make them resistant to rust while keeping them light and durable.
Moreover, SOC has specified that these boats are only the beginning of more powerful and
classified technology that is currently under development.
However, there have already been leaks that point to features that might enhance a crew’s
infiltration and extraction capabilities from an active combat zone, drastically changing
the way it’s been done for years…
Special Operations Boats
The United States Special Operations Command or SOCOM has a small fleet of special operations
boats designed specifically for the most dangerous missions a Green Beret, Navy SEAL, or any
other elite personnel may find themselves in.
Each boat is designed for different operations and mission objectives, such as stealth infiltration
and extraction or all-out guns blazing into enemy territory.
Even so, SOCOM has sought to modernize its fleet of stealth surface craft during the
last decade.
As such, the Naval Special Warfare community, or NSW, has taken the stealth boats to the
next level with continuous tests and the development of new technology.
In 2017, the United States Central Command, or CENTCOM, posted several pictures and videos
of the special boats making their way to the United Arab Emirates.
The combatant craft were then seen with members from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and others.
Although little information is known about these vessels, footage and pictures from Exercise
Eager Lion 17 gave the public a sneak peek of their capacity under the expertise of Special
Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen, who are specially trained to man them.
Combatant Craft Assault
The first and most common of the boats is the Combatant Craft Assault or CCA, developed
in the 2010s by United States Marine, Inc.
She is used for medium-range missions, such as the insertion and extraction of special
operators, conducting coastal reconnaissance, littoral patrol, and other classified missions.
The 14-foot-long craft features a hull made of composite materials that make her resistant
to rust while keeping her light and durable.
She is also powered by two diesel engines that allow her to reach speeds of more than
60 miles per hour, with an approximate operational range of 400 miles.
The boat can carry four crew members and eight special operations forces with an arsenal
that comprises an M134 minigun, an M240 and .50-caliber machine guns, and a Mark 19 40-millimeter
grenade launcher.
SOCOM is also analyzing if the CCA can carry guided missiles or small drones for more intense
operations that require additional firepower.
Moreover, the CCA can be deployed and dropped from C-17 aircraft and warships and even sling
loaded into action by MH-47 Chinooks.
Combatant Craft Medium
Special forces operators also employ a second stealth vessel, the Combatant Craft Medium
or CCM, which was initially developed in the early 2010s by shipbuilder Oregon Iron Works,
now known as Vigor Works.
As the name implies, the CCM is larger and heavier than the standard CCA and is meant
to replace the aging Mark V Special Operations Craft, which features several fixed weapon
mounts.
Leaked pictures and footage show some prototypes of the CCM with a twin .50-caliber machine
gun placed at the rear.
It makes sense that, like its predecessor, she will feature a remote weapon station to
enhance her combat roles.
The Alligator
The other known craft already employed by the Navy through the Naval Special Warfare
Program is the Combatant Craft Heavy, also known as the SEAL Insertion, Observation,
and Neutralization craft, or SEALION.
This craft is a fully enclosed, semi-submersible vessel with several features tailored specifically
to the operations conducted by the elite Navy SEALs.
She is also larger, heavier, and more proficient than its peers.
The SEALION has retractable communication masts and sensors, diving equipment, an inflatable
rubber raiding craft, and other innovations still in development that will make SEAL operations
stealthier and more lethal.
There are currently four types of Combatant Craft Heavy Boats.
The Alligator, SEALION-I, SEALION-II, and SEALION-III.
The Alligator, the first boat of the class, was developed in the mid-1990s and transferred
to the Israeli military after testing with US forces.
She displaced 23.4 tons, had a length of 19.80 meters, a width of 3.96 meters, and a maximum
surface speed of 30 knots or eight while submerged.
SEAL Infiltration Boat
The Alligator was succeeded by SEALION-I, designed in collaboration with Vigor Works
and the Combatant Craft Division of the US Navy's Naval Surface Warfare Center.
She was delivered in January of 2003 and underwent trials with the Navy SEALs for over a decade
before two hulls were refurbished and reached operational status.
The program cost the Navy around ten million dollars, but the enhancements paid off.
SEALION-I is longer and wider than the Alligator, with a more spacious cabin where two RIB or
rigid inflatables can be accommodated.
Additionally, the boat can carry Diver Propulsion Vehicles in storage lockers, and a door at
the stern allows them to be launched and recovered.
The wave-piercing hulls and the use of thermal and acoustic insulation materials further
enhance the capabilities of stealth, speed, and aggression for maritime interdiction capabilities.
The SEALION-I also includes the latest navigation and detection systems, such as the Combatant
Craft Forward Looking Infrared or CCFLIR pod, which has day color and low light cameras,
a laser pointer, and a laser range finder.
Meanwhile, the Furuno DRS4D radar features a Furuno GPS and many essential systems for
communication with several military assets.
Externally, the SEALION features flat deck areas with retractable equipment, while the
enclosed cabin is climate-controlled and comprises a crew, engine, and electrical compartment.
The crew compartment has seven deck-mounted seats and additional space for up to four
standing passengers, and has the navigator and coxswain stations with the steering wheel,
controlled by tillers and joysticks.
Moreover, the payload compartment can also be configured according to the mission requirements.
Although the SEALION can be used with a remote station placed at the topside deck, the craft
still features the essentials of any boat.
Future Upgrades
According to a 2013 request for information issued by SOCOM, the SEALION-III: (QUOTE)
“Will maintain the same capabilities of SEALION I and SEALION II with minor modifications
to implement improvements in the areas of Reliability, Availability, Maintainability,
and safety."
These changes include an upgraded fuel system with two 450-gallon day tanks and two 500-gallon
fuel tanks located aft.
The SEALION-III will also have room for seven crewmen plus 12 fully armed Navy SEALs and
two 1,500-brake-horsepower 10V2000 M93 diesel engines.
Equipment and sensors included, the latest variant is expected to displace over 80,000
pounds, with a length of 80 feet, a height of 9.5 feet, and a width of 14.5 feet.
In November of 2021, some of the Special Operations Combatant Crafts were seen during exercises
at San Diego Bay, California, where the public got a taste of their incredible capabilities.
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