Silver Ships gets $11 million Navy contract for seaborne targets

(THEODORE, Ala.) — Aluminum boatbuilder Silver Ships has been awarded an $11 million firm-fixed-price General Services Administration (GSA) contract for the construction and delivery of up to 160 high-speed maneuverable surface targets (HSMST), accessories and deployment spare parts. The contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to nearly $19.7 million.

Over the past 20 years, Silver Ships has constructed more than 500 rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) for the U.S. military, which are used in U.S. Navy fleet ship and tactical aircraft live-fire ordnance training on designated ranges in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The boats are highly versatile and can be operated in either a manned or unmanned configuration.

The winning HSMST Ambar-series RHIB design is based closely on Silver Ships in-service craft, and was created by the company’s in-house engineering design team, led by senior Naval Architect Clay Danielson. The craft will be built over the next two years, to be completed in 2020.

By Professional Mariner Staff