Army Finalizing Requirements for 'Heavy' Watercraft.

• Author: Luckenbaugh, Josh

COLUMBUS, Ohio--The Army is modernizing its watercraft to ensure the service's combat systems and vehicles get where they need to go in austere, coastal environments. In October, the Army launched a Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) prototype, which will eventually replace the service's Vietnamera Landing Craft Mechanized-8. The vessel--developed by Vigor LLC--is the service's "first new major watercraft system acquisition in more than 20 years," Brig. Gen. Samuel "Luke" Peterson, the Army's program executive officer for combat support and combat service support, said in an Army release.

The Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) prototype is currently undergoing testing and "already demonstrating capabilities that we are extremely excited about," Peterson said at the National Defense Industrial Association's Tactical Wheeled Vehicles Conference.

"The speed on this vessel is tremendous, and the capabilities it will provide for resupplying and augmenting forces in an [Indo-Pacific] type of environment is truly tremendous," he said.

Now, the Army is finalizing requirements for a larger version of the Maneuver Support Vessel, Peterson said.

The Maneuver Support Vessel (Heavy) is "a key requirement coming out of my user community," he said. "We've worked very hard to make sure we understand what it...