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U-700 Jehu LCP Watercat M18 AMC

In the autumn of 2012, as part of the development of Coastal Mobility and Combat Capabilities, the Navy signed a contract with a Finnish shipyard for the construction of 12 high-speed transport boats. Named Jehu, these boats can be equipped, in addition to crewing duties, with combat and fire support, maintenance and medical duties, and mobile command and control. The first three Jehu-class boats were handed over to the Uusimaa Brigade in the summer of 2015 and the entire boat series was completed by the end of 2017.

The latest vessel developed by Marine Alutech is the Watercat M18 armored modular craft (AMC). This is a new landing craft which is designed to fulfill all modern requirements for future combat support vessels. It was announced that Marine Alutech will deliver 12 pcs of these Watercat M18 AMC multipurpose high-speed landing crafts to Finnish Navy during 2014-2016. The vessels will be powered by two 660kW Scania diesel engines and feature Rolls-Royce waterjet propulsion. The Watercat M18 AMC is suitable for troop transportation, medical and evacuation tasks, landing operations, patrolling and escort tasks, as well as combat and battle support scenarios. The vessel has been specially designed for archipelagic, coastal and offshore conditions with an effective heating and air-conditioning system allowing heat and extreme cold, arid or humid climates.

Naval boats of this size aren’t typically graced with names – these 12 will be numbered in sequence U701-U712, and will collectively be known as the ‘Jehu’ class. Jouni Hirvenkivi, Marine Alutech’s Project Manager for the M18 contract said: “There are many meanings for this word, but there are a couple I like and they fit the capabilities of these mean-looking boats – ‘destruction’ and ‘big boss’. I’m not sure which suits them best, but when you’re behind the wheel at 40 knots with the bow rising with the sheer power, there is a certain air of dominance about these highly agile craft.”

When the Finnish navy was looking for power and dominance for its high-speed vessels, it turned to a combination of Marine Alutech design and Rolls-Royce waterjet propulsion. Today’s navies are adapting to the challenges of everchanging world security and defence budget constraints. In many cases, smaller, agile craft are being favoured over the more traditional, larger naval combatants. The market for fast craft, vessels that can be deployed quickly and effectively in a variety of scenarios, is particularly buoyant.

Rolls-Royce is a leading supplier of waterjets for such craft, with the characteristics of responsive manoeuvrability, rapid acceleration and deceleration, and their suitability for shallow waters making them the favored propulsion over propellers and thrusters. The latest type of high-speed craft to enter service, designed and produced by Marine Alutech, is the Watercat M18 AMC.

Marine Alutech, located in the south of Finland near the small town of Salo, has been in business for 25 years and is a regular user of Rolls-Royce waterjets across a range of their designs. The company specialises in aluminium hulled high-speed craft for governmental customers, such as navies, coast guards, port authorities and sea rescue services.

In 2012, Marine Alutech secured the contract to develop and deliver 12 Watercat M18 AMC multi-purpose vessels. These high-speed troop-carrying landing craft are propelled by twin Rolls-Royce Steel series 40A3 waterjets with mixed flow stainless steel pumps. These impressive and highly agile boats are capable of supporting missions such as troop transportation, medical and evacuation tasks, landing operations as well as patrolling and escort work in the Gulf of Finland, along the Baltic coast as well as globally.

With a displacement of 26 tonnes, which can increase to around 32 tonnes with a full payload, they are powered by two 660kW main engines. The waterjets’ steering capability allows the M18, which is 19.9m long, to turn in a radius of less than two boat lengths, at speed. With a full complement of 26 troops and equipment, the publically declared speed is more than 40 knots.

Niko Haro, CEO Marine Alutech, sees export potential for the M18. He says: “We’ve had a lot of interest from navies outside our usual ‘home’ markets of Northern Europe. This design offers something different, but captures all the capabilities that modern navies are looking for. “In the past, navies typically specified what they wanted for their craft, but that can be expensive, and in most countries, that approach is changing. There is a shift to buying proven technology – this takes away the risk of buying something that’s completely new, so being able to offer a design virtually off-the-shelf can be beneficial in some markets. We’ve already had serious interest in the Middle East and South America.” Rigorous sea trials for the first of the series, number U701 were carried out during the summer.

Jouni Hirvenkivi, Marine Alutech’s Project Manager for the M18 contract, explains: “Firstly, we thoroughly test the whole propulsion train from the engines, through the gear boxes to the waterjets. “These vessels need to be fast, so we have to ensure we have the power required during early sea trials before going any further. We also monitor the general seakeeping of the boat – how it handles in the water. And we try it out in calm and rough seas. Essentially, we have to prove the capability of the design.”

Jouni adds: “During weapons trials, we go out into open sea, and the vessel is under Finnish Navy command and proudly carries the Finnish Navy ensign. “We’ve been in some rough waves following the wake of one of their much larger craft, and such is the power of the M18, we’ve jumped clean out of the water, which is pretty exhilarating, and I’m proud to say she handled like a dream.” While these boats will spend most of their time in Finnish waters, they’re actually equipped for missions in international waters.

Marine Alutech has invested in a purpose-built production building for this project, which allows for three craft to be in the various stages of build at any one time. They were all delivered by the end of 2016. In service, the M18 will typically have a crew of four: master, helmsman, navigator and weapons operator, but can manage with two if needed. The vessels are fighting craft and are designed and built to cope with the rigours of a modern combat zone. They feature advanced ventilation and filtration systems so they can operate safely in areas contaminated by nuclear, biological or chemical warfare.

In order to secure the contract for 12 craft, Marine Alutech produced its own prototype vessel – the M16. This provided the opportunity to take a design from the drawing board and prove the overall performance, manuverability and speed. The M16 is actually lighter than the M18 production craft, so is a little faster. The M18 is equipped for a variety of combat situations, offering a mix of protection for the crew and passengers, and suitable firepower for offensive deployments. On the roof there is the main armament – (RWS) remote controlled rapid-fire 50 calibre machine gun and co-axial 7.62. The latter stage of the sea trial program covered weapons tests, and this is a period when the Navy must be present.

Defence and security company Saab was selected to equip Marine AlutechOyAB’s Watercat M18 AMC amphibious assault craft with the Trackfire Remote Weapon Station (RWS). The Watercat M18 AMCs is armed with a dual weapon Trackfire RWS (mounting the 12.7mm NSV or alternatively the 40mm Grenade Machine Gun, as well as a coaxial PKM machine gun) and features a video tracker module, dual-command Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) and high performance Sensor Module “We are delighted to have been selected to provide the Trackfire RWS as an integral part of the Watercat™ M18 AMC solution” says Thomas Kloos, Head of Product Area Command and Control Systems at Saab. “This further cements our position as a long-term provider of fire control solutions for our Finnish customer. Trackfire represents the next generation of high performance RWS; as adept on land vehicles as it is on naval vessels; and therefore we are confident on building on this success with additional orders from other users”.