Addressing the Defence Leaders Combined Naval Event (CNE) 2024 in Farnborough on 22 May, Captain Nick Unwin, Commando Force programme director, said a CIC industry day was scheduled to take place on 4 June to outline the plan for programme delivery, and provide new clarity on requirements.
The Commando Force programme is designed to transform UK amphibious forces into a more agile and lethal capability optimised for persistent forward deployment in a range of combat and non-combat roles. Key to this is a recapitalisation programme intended to bring new equipment and shipping into service in support of littoral strike operations.
As part of this investment plan, the CIC programme is intended to deliver a new high-speed, low-signature craft that can deliver Royal Marine Commando teams and their equipment from ships positioned some distance offshore. The MoD’s procurement pipeline document last year indicated a requirement for around 20 CIC craft, with a budget of just over £190 million earmarked to cover design, manufacture, and support.
Top-level CIC requirements previously promulgated by the MoD call for a medium-lift craft that can carry a strike team and a small vehicle to the shore from a stand-off range (circa 150 nautical miles) at high speed (25+ knots) with a low probability of detection. One major design consideration is the ability to transport marines in an environment where they land on shore ‘fit to fight’.
Captain Unwin told the CNE 2024 audience that he was looking to see as many companies as possible represented at the forthcoming industry day:
“There are some enormously interesting proposals and work that’s already gone on in this [area] with a variety of industry partners, and I know there’s plenty more out there that I’m not aware of that is being worked in the background,”
The intention is to transition the CIC programme out of its concept phase and into project delivery in order to replace the LCVP MK 5 by 2028. “It’s quite a tight timescale,” Captain Unwin acknowledged, “but the concept – and the potential that the Commando Insertion Craft can deliver – is really quite exciting. It is not a traditional surface connector, it’s not just moving [stores, vehicles] and people from ship to shore. There’s a whole range of other bits and pieces which that capability will be able to offer us.”
Two candidate CIC design concepts have already surfaced. UK design house Steller Systems has developed a 19 m Offshore Insertion Craft concept which adopts an instep hullform and a stern-to landing arrangement. A sub-scale demonstrator has already completed testing as part of Defence and Security Accelerator Novel Amphibious Craft programme.
Meanwhile, BAE Systems’ Maritime Services business has shown an 18.5 m Littoral Strike Craft concept based on a tri-bow hull arrangement and novel motion control technology.
