Mark VI Patrol Boats and Exmcm Board the US Navy’s USS Comstock for Maritime Security Operations.
The US Navy’s expeditionary sea base USS Comstock recently embarked an array of small craft to conduct maritime security operations in the 5th Fleet area of operations. The deployed boats included the cutting-edge Mark VI patrol boat and the Exmcm unmanned surface vehicle.
The 39-meter USS Comstock provides a flexible platform to deploy rotary and patrol aircraft along with surface vessels in littoral regions. For its current security mission, the Comstock is hosting two 11-meter Mark VI boats and an Exmcm demonstrator craft.
The Mark VI is the Navy’s most advanced patrol boat. With a top speed of 35 knots, it provides rapid response and intercept capabilities against asymmetric surface threats. The 7-meter Exmcm is an experimental unmanned surface vehicle designed to enhance maritime domain awareness.
According to the Navy, exercises conducted during the Comstock’s deployment refined tactics for integrating the Mark VI and Exmcm into security force assistance and maritime security operations. Lessons learned will help develop future littoral combat force packages.
The Comstock also serves as a testbed for evaluating emerging technologies in real-world conditions before wider adoption by the fleet. Hosting the Mark VI and Exmcm boats provides operational data on how these assets enhance both harbor and coastal defense missions.
The patrol boats extend the Comstock’s sensor coverage and ability to patrol chokepoints, keeping waterways secure. Their presence delivers flexible new capabilities to protect allies and infrastructure against threats in the region.
