Ukraine to procure 16 Mark VI patrol boats from the U.S.

The U.S. State Department has cleared a possible Foreign Military Sale to Ukraine of up to sixteen armed Mark VI Patrol Boats for an estimated cost of $600 million.

Safe Boats International company, located in Washington, will be the prime contractor of the potential sale.

The announcement of the possible sale includes 32 MSI Seahawk A2 gun systems; 20 electro-optic/infrared radar, or FLIR systems; 16 Long Range Acoustic Device 5-kilometer range loudspeaker systems; 16 identification, friend or foe systems; 40 MK44 30mm cannons; and unspecified communications and support equipment.

Several of these patrol boats were also part of the Pentagon’s recently announced $250M security assistance to Ukraine.

The purchase request also includes related communication equipment, support equipment, spare parts, tools and test equipment, technical data and publications, logistics suppor, and personnel training.

The addition of the vessels will bolster the Ukrainian Navy’s patrolling capabilities and tackle current and future threats.

The new patrol boats are seen as critical given Ukraine’s tensions with Russia in the Black Sea & the Sea of Azov following a clash in the Kerch Strait. The Sea of Azov is much too shallow for most warships to operate, making it the ideal environment for the Mark VI patrol boats.