US Army Order Spearhead TSV-1X a Second Fast Vessel from Australian Shipbuilder Incat

The US Army have announced a contract for a second Incat-built high speed Wave Piercing Catamaran for evaluation in various mission scenarios.

The US Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) is leasing their first Theater Support Vessel (TSV –1X) for the Army from Bollinger/Incat USA, LLC of Lockport, Louisana.

Incat Chairman Robert Clifford announced the contract to workers at the Hobart shipyard today. He said “Transformation is the key word of the US military these days in their quest for a more efficient transport system, and it is the key word at Incat – transformation pivotal to our future success”.

The vessel, Incat hull 060, will be modified at the Incat shipyard in Hobart to meet US Army requirements with delivery to owner Bollinger/Incat USA targeted for mid-November.

The purpose of the TSV, to be named Spearhead with the designation TSV-1X, is to demonstrate and evaluate its ability to perform during certain mission scenarios, assess its usefulness to the US military and refine the requirements for the next generation of army watercraft and the objective TSV. The TSV will be evaluated in its intra-theater role in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).

A team of over fifty US military personnel will arrive in Tasmania over the next few weeks, with the first contingent due at the Hobart Incat shipyard this week. The Army team are to train and work up the ship in Tasmanian waters for at least the next six weeks.

The TSV is critical to the Army’s ability to perform its title 10, intra-theater mission. Spearhead TSV-1X will be utilized on missions to maximize its speed and flexibility and is needed for both sustainment deliveries and the movement of Army prepositioned stocks, and troop units.

TSV-1X Spearhead is a 98m craft from Incat’s Evolution 10B range of Wave Piercing Catamarans.

In 2001 and in response to the overwhelming interest from US forces in high-speed craft, Incat formed a strategic alliance with an American Shipyard to market and build innovative craft designs for the US military and commercial markets. Incat USA’s alliance with Bollinger Shipyard Inc of Louisiana, who have extensive experience with supplying patrol craft to the Military and Coast Guard, has combined the strengths of two world class shipbuilders.

As a result, later in 2001, joint forces from the US Military awarded to Bollinger / Incat USA the charter for a High Speed Craft to be used as an evaluation platform for various trials and demonstrations for the different forces involved. This craft, Joint Venture HSV-X1, continues to excel and has recently completed a circumnavigation of the globe – the first High Speed Craft flying a special purpose US Military Flag to do so.