Australian watercraft manufacturer The Whiskey Project Group (TWPG) has announced the successful delivery of two Whiskey Bravo – Multi Mission Reconnaissance Craft (MMRC) to the United States Marine Corps (USMC) at the Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton, in Southern California.
The vessels have been accepted by the Marine Corps War Fighting Lab (MCWL) and are being used by by the reconnaissance Marines to host and trial a number of different mission payloads.
The Whiskey Bravo incorporates almost 50 US and Australian original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including a range of world-leading systems, sensors, modular mission sets and intelligence surveillance reconnaissance (ISR) systems.
The trials have included analysing a wide range of critical mission-specific payloads built specifically for USMC operational theatres, as well as trialling a series of multi-scenario combat operations.
This delivery of the first two Whiskey Bravo follows a comprehensive competitive evaluation process in which TWPG was awarded a USD $20.5 million (AUD $33.8 million) contract to supply a number of both its 8-metre Whiskey Alpha and 11-metre Whiskey Bravo vessels to the USMC.
“From the very outset, The Whiskey Project Group’s mission was to redefine tactical watercraft and create a new generation of safer, completely networked, combat-ready fit for purpose platforms, based on our own naval special operations experience,” said Darren Schuback, TWPG Co-Founder and CEO.
“We’re extremely appreciative of the U.S. Department of Defense and USMC’s focus on innovation-sharing opportunities with life-long allies like Australia. The contracting process enabled by DIU makes it easier for private sector companies to rapidly fill real time capability gaps faced by war fighters and combatant commanders."
TWPG states that it will continue to engage with Australian defence, and will look to participate in Land 8710-3 for the delivery of vessels to the Australian Army’s re-configured littoral manoeuvre brigade.