PORTSMOUTH, England, July 22 (UPI) -- BAE Systems has completed the first of 60 next-generation rigid inflatable boats, or RIBs, being built for the U.K. Royal Navy as part of a 13.5-million pound contract, worth about $20 million when it was signed in December.
The vanguard of the next-generation Pacific 24 Mark-4 craft was completed out of BAE's Portsmouth Naval Base location, the company said.
It will be deployed on Royal Navy ships like offshore patrol vessels and the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, the first of which will arrive in Portsmouth next spring, BAE said.
The RIBs deploy from ship or shore at speeds of up to 44 mph and can quickly respond to fast rescue, anti-piracy and counter-narcotics missions.
The Pacific 24 Mark-4 also features high-performance, shock-absorbing seats that will minimize crew fatigue, allowing for longer-range missions.
