U.S. Navy Signs $3.5 Billion Contract for 2800 Small Boats

The U.S. Navy has signed a ten-year contract worth $3.5 billion to purchase about 2,800 small boats, service vessels, and targets between fiscal years 2026 and 2036. The contract aims to support U.S. shipbuilding, provide steady work for shipyards, and equip the fleet with necessary support vessels. The program is intended to strengthen small craft production, improve operational readiness, and expand supplier competition, while providing a mosquito fleet of small, flexible vessels suitable for shallow waters, islands, and atolls where larger ships cannot operate efficiently.

The contract covers a variety of vessels, including aluminum boats for oil-spill cleanup, fast craft for Special Operations Forces capable of 35 knots, and steel tugs, barges, floating cranes, and docks. Specific requirements vary: steel workboats use diesel engines and provide high bollard pull for towing, Coast Guard boats such as the SPC-LE II include light weapon mounts and high speed for port security, oil-spill response boats use gasoline outboards, and larger tugs and barges focus on endurance and reliability.

Small vessels are essential for logistics, training, security, repair, harbor operations, and environmental response, and spreading contracts across multiple suppliers helps keep regional shipyards active, preserving industrial capacity. The U.S. Navy currently operates over 3,000 small boats, including patrol craft, harbor security boats, workboats, utility craft, and tugs. Some categories, like Mark VI patrol boats, support littoral operations, but their numbers are limited. Many existing boats are aging and require replacement, which is a primary reason for the new contract.

Over the next decade, the delivery of 2,800 new boats will refresh inventory and expand capabilities in areas such as special operations and port security. The program maintains industrial skills and reflects that small craft are essential to supporting the larger fleet.