Sept. 10, 2025 —
Coast Guard fast response cutters patrol the Strait of Hormuz, August 2022. U.S. Coast Guard photo.
On Sep. 9, the Coast Guard exercised a contract option with Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, Louisiana, to fund construction of 10 additional fast response cutters (FRCs). This option, valued at $507 million, supports the Coast Guard’s ongoing fleet modernization efforts and expanded global maritime mission.
This action is made possible by the passage of Public Law 119-21, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. With this option, the total number of FRCs ordered under the current contract increases from 67 to 77. The first FRC acquired through this option is expected to be delivered in fiscal year 2028.
Sentinel-class FRCs are critical assets in the Coast Guard’s mission to ensure maritime safety, security and stewardship. Fifty-eight of these cutters are already in service, having replaced the aging fleet of 1980s-era Island-class 110-foot patrol boats. Expanding this fleet will provide the necessary capability to control, secure and defend our maritime borders and approaches.
The FRC is designed for multiple missions, including search and rescue; fishery patrols; drug and alien interdiction; ports, waterways and coastal security; and national defense. FRCs feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment; over-the-horizon cutter boat deployment to reach vessels of interest; and improved habitability and seakeeping.
The FRC fleet will complement the capabilities of the service’s national security cutters, offshore patrol cutters and polar security cutters as an essential element of the nation’s layered maritime security strategy.
For more information: Fast Response Cutter Program page