Machines for War: Combat Rubber Reconnaissance Craft F470

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Combat Rubber Reconnaissance Craft F470

Zodiac of North America announced the EVO 7 Futura Commando 470 (F470) Combat Rubber
Raiding Craft (CRRC) will begin delivering to military customers in August 2007. Special Operations Forces, U.S. Navy SEALs and RECON Marines use Zodiac EVO7s to launch from submarines or air-drop from helicopters and Lockheed C130 Hercules transports. This new, lightweight F470 is a completely new-and-forward-thinking design in the realm of inflatable boats, designed specifically and from the outset with multi-mission capabilities and to accommodate varying engine sizes as needed.

The impressive F470 Combat Rubber Raiding Craft is set to make Special Forces groups that much more special.

The Zodiac H2P deck supports engine sizes up to a 55-horsepower (41 kW), two-stroke engine with a pump jet propulsor which consists of a shrouded impeller instead of the traditional exposed propeller. Impellers are rotating devices that force liquids, gases and vapors in a desired direction. This design reduces the risk of serious injury to personnel within the water near the vessel when compared to that of an open propeller system. Likewise, an internally-fitted propeller system also reduces the risk of the propulsion system sustaining damage if an impact occurred during a mission, sometimes happening far away from a supply ship. Tear resistant Duratane protects the floor system from damage. The H2P deck system reduces the empty weight of an F470 by 63 pounds, results in a smaller stowed footprint of the vessel is just 2'6" x 4'11". Reducing weight by 1/4 made room for additional gear for SOF operators and increased the speed of the craft by 2 or 3 knots. Less weight allows SOF support units to transport more boats and a single operator simply turns on a SCUBA tank to inflate the entire EVO 7 in less than 2 minutes.

The EVO7 features a high-pressure air deck system that uses a rigid aluminum deck, an improved hard deck that does not use a thrust board.

Its chief advantages are stealth, versatility, and generally robust good sea keeping. Its buoyancy gives it the ability to operate in relatively high seas for such a small light craft. The raft has eight airtight chambers, the main hull (or gunwale) contains five connected chambers which are separated by internal baffles and valves. This connected air value system makes sure that a single leak will not result in the loss of major pressure throughout the entire hull with air being shared between the eight chambers. For some comfort, additional chambers (called speed skags) are located on the sides to allow some cushioning. For stability, a chamber running the length of the bottom of the craft (producing a "V" shape) is utilized for shock absorption. A wood transom at the stern provides a mount the outboard engine(s) and is also strong enough to support a machine gun. A bow line is attached for docking the boat plus a righting line to be used to flip the boat upright if it capsizes.

The boat can be used for "blue" or "brown" water missions, inserting up to ten lightly-armed Special Forces team members onto beaches, piers, oil rigs and vessels as required.

The assistant coxswain is charged with keeping contact with other vessels boats via hand signals and helps out the coxswain as needed. The remaining six-to-eight passengers make up the team. The fire team normally straddles the gunwale to make a low silhouette in avoiding detection, leaving room on the deck for mission-applicable weapons and equipment. At its core, however, the CRRC offers little-to-no protection to its occupants and is itself vulnerable to small-arms fire - making operations in the dark of night a necessity - especially when stealth and the element of surprise are concerned.

A coxswain (acting as commander of the vessel) sits at the stern of the boat and controls the tiller arm, attached to an outboard engine while the assistant coxswain sits nearby.

This small boat maintains over-the-horizon raid capability to conduct amphibious short-notice missions. Launched at night and in all types of adverse weather conditions while using stealth in such adverse surf zones to support an advance force through special operations makes the craft quite unique. On top of all this, careful planning covers all navigational issues while an excellent set of swimmer skills is showcased by highly-trained and select personnel and all are trained in crew water survival safety.

The number one priority for the modern military is undergoing a planning evolution to fulfill a mission need. The execute order is given and no longer than six hours is expected to elapse from the beginning of the craft-launching phase.

This boat was undoubtedly designed for a special breed of warrior beyond the standard infantryman.