Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat

Manufacturer: Zodiac

Service: USMC, USN

Armament: M60 7.62mm machine gun, MK19 40mm, M2 .50 cal. machine gun

Propulsion: Dual Caterpillar 3126 DITA, 6 in-line cylinder diesel engines

Speed: 40+ knots

Range: 200 nautical miles

Crew: 3 and a SEAL squad

The Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat is a high-speed, high-buoyancy, extreme-weather craft with the primary mission of SEAL insertion/extraction and a secondary mission of marine interdiction operations. The RHIB is also used by U.S. Navy sailors for visit board and search operations at sea.

The 11-meter-long Naval Special Warfare Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (11m NSW RIBs) are constructed of composites with an inflatable tube gunwale made of reinforced fabric. They can operate in heavy seas and winds of 45 knots, but for other than heavy-weather training, the Navy limits its use to somewhat milder sea conditions (wind speed is less than 34 knots).

The 11m NSW RIB carries a crew of three and a SEAL element (8 passengers) in its Naval Special Warfare role and is used increasingly by Naval Expeditionary Warfare in a marine interdiction/Visit Board Search & Seizure (VBSS) role, organic to LPD-17 Class ships, with a Navy crew of 3 and a Marine Corps boarding team.

The Navy VBSS variant includes a lifting bail for launch and retrieval from LPD-17 Class ships.