RB-S_Demonstrator_Feedback_7-16-2026.pdf

RB-S Demo – Feedback 16 JULY 2026

Special Notice: RB-S Demonstrator Feedback

1.0 Purpose of Release

The United States Coast Guard is providing this feedback to share observations from the RB-S Demonstrator event.

This feedback does not constitute a solicitation, request for proposal, amendment, or commitment by the Government. This feedback does not establish requirements, proposal submission instructions, evaluation criteria, preferred design solutions, or approved configurations.

2.0 Introduction

This document summarizes observations and follow-on discussions surrounding the RB-S Demonstrator (RB-S Demo) event completed in April and May 2026. Multiple Coast Guard crews operated four RB-S demo boats in various scenarios associated with Coast Guard RB-S missions. Crew comments were reviewed and discussed to ensure the intent was captured.

The Coast Guard will not respond to questions on this feedback but may provide opportunities for questions during future solicitations or other official Government notice.

3.0 Feedback

The observations below reflect a consolidated review and feedback from Coast Guard operators during the RB-S Demo event. Unless otherwise stated, descriptions of attributes or configurations as useful, challenging, or of limited value reflect operators’ experience in demonstrator boats and scenarios evaluated.

Not in order of importance or priority

• Hull Form o There were two traditional hull forms and two innovative hull forms. While the innovative hull forms provided improved performance in specific situations, the improved performance was not envisioned to significantly enhance typical RB-S mission performance.

o Three of the four demo boats had some form of active trim control. Every one of the trim control systems failed at some point during the demo event. The consensus was if active trim control is provided, the system should be reliable, and the boat should remain capable with the system in a failed or degraded condition. Based on the observed failures, the ability to manually retract or disable the system was identified as a useful consideration.

• Seating o The option to sit or stand at a seat was useful. Drop down seat pans, or seat / console arrangements that allowed this at all seats provided options that improved crew comfort.

o Seatbacks that did not reach shoulder height were uncomfortable.

o Establishing the head height of the aft seats slightly higher than the front seats was useful and provided crew members in the aft seats the ability to see through the forward windows.

o Seats that provided lateral movement / shock mitigation were initially liked based on the additional comfort. Over the duration of the event crews expressed concern with potential additional maintenance associated with the lateral movement option, the complexity, and clearance requirements (i.e., pinch points for hands/fingers) and questioned the value / trade-offs of using lateral motion seats.

o Seats with armrests on both sides were comfortable and provided support, some outboard armrests may not be necessary if the inside of the cabin provides arm support without generating issues with pinch points as seats move through their vertical motion.

o Mesh-type cup holders compared to hard cup holders accommodated a wider range of containers / equipment

• Number of Multi-Function Displays o Three displays were useful: one for the coxswain, one for the navigator, and one for the aft crew member (diagonal from the coxswain).

• Workstation o A stowable table that can be locked in the up or down position was useful. Locating it in the same seating position as the aft MFD worked well.

• Console Layout o After sampling the multiple console layouts and configurations crews sketched the following as an example of a user-friendly configuration. This sketch does not consider any interference on the back side of the consoles. Not all equipment is shown, and in some situations some of the equipment may not have been present on all the demo boats.

o It is not a Government-approved or mandated configuration, preferred layout, requirement, or evaluation standard.

• Steering o If a joystick was provided and placed on the inboard chair armrest, it was susceptible to accidental engagement or snagging.

o Where joysticks were provided, their use was largely limited to low-speed mooring situations. Having the ability to increase RPM to account for difficult wind or current mooring situations was useful.

o Steering ‘feel’ was important. A sense of disconnection from the steering input was felt in some situations.

o In a steering failure situation having an ability to manually ‘center’ and hold the engines centered was a function that was considered as a useful option.

• Throttle o Electronic throttle controls worked well.

o Locating the throttles on a console bump out on the outboard side of the coxswain

(starboard) was comfortable and allowed the coxswain to use the seat armrest for grip and comfort without grabbing the throttles.

• Aft Fantail Seating and Arrangement o Transom bench seating with storage was useful provided it did not interfere with having a fully accessible 40 sq-ft aft working space.

• Crew Comms o An all-wireless system provided functionality that was useful in comparison to a mixed, or fully wired system.

o Dedicated stowage for the headsets at each station was useful – a hook, shelf, box, etc. all worked.

o Systems that were rechargeable were useful. If not recharged by charging the headset – providing an onboard recharging station for the replaceable batteries was useful.

• Tow Reel o A tow reel hand crank that is stowable when not in use and has a positive locking mechanism to hold it in the stowed or in-use position was useful.

o Including a detachable light that can be mounted to view and monitor the tow (spotlight) as part of the outfit (including stowage) was useful.

• Handrails o Handrail placement that generated tripping hazards or overlapped cleats or work areas presented challenges.

o Handholds on the exterior cabin top below shoulder height were uncomfortable.

• Insulation / Fatigue Matting o Where used, black or dark colored (near black) matting was favorable.

o Insulation/carpet for the interior sides and overhead of the cabin provided noticeable sound and thermal insulation.

• Long Gun Mounts o Stowage for four long guns somewhere other than the inboard side of the seats was useful.

o A lockable stowage was not found to be useful.

o A weapons locker was not found to be useful.

o An ammo locker was found to be useful.

o Stowing the long guns behind the aft seats provides access and reduced snag hazards during movement around the cabin.

• Doors/Hatches o Doors and hatches that could not be secured in both the open and closed positions were difficult to manage.

• Radio Speakers o Locating speakers in the overhead near each operator seat, positioned ahead of the seat, improved the ability to determine which radio was receiving communications.

• Lights (General) o The ability to dim all light sources, including indicator lights on equipment (e.g., throttle, joysticks) improved night operations.

o Interior and exterior lights that started at a dim/no light setting when energized and were adjustable to full brightness were useful.

o Exterior light placement in some situations resulted in reflection back into crew eyes.

• Blackout Switch o A single blackout switch that extinguishes all light sources may not be feasible and some equipment may need to be separately dimmed. Functionality improved when the number of switches or controls needed to dim all light sources to zero or minimum was minimized.

• Side of the Cabin Walking Surface o The walking surface used to transit forward and aft on the outside of the cabin was of limited usefulness when it was a non-skid surface less than 6 inches in width. Operators were not always facing inboard when walking on the surface and having a comfortable surface that allowed the crewman to face forward while walking forward was useful.

• Windows o Windows used as egress points did not always consider the size of a person wearing law enforcement gear.

o When opened, windows that had an opening extending beyond the aft seat seatback improved functionality.

o Forward side windows that slide aft to open provided improved ventilation and functionality.

o Side windows that had secure stop points (¼, ½, ¾ opened positions) in addition to stop points for fully closed or fully open provided improved functionality.

o Windows that were arranged to deflect spray and rain away from entering the cabin were more useful.

o Locating the bottom edge of the window with the approximate location of the arm rest

(when a crewman is in the seat) provided improved functionality.

o This sketch captures operator comments for window placement and functionality. It is not a Government-approved or mandated configuration, preferred layout, requirement, or evaluation standard.

• HVAC

o The systems on the demo boats did not provide a noticeable improvement over opening doors and windows for more ventilation. The weather during the demo event did not highlight the value of AC with temperate conditions during the event.

o Air conditioning is of most value when the boats are near stationary and there is limited air movement (no wind and boat is not generating wind). Which is also when the engines are typically at idle and at their lowest electric power output.

o An option for a modular / removable HVAC system mounted on a removable roof panel, a pre-wired boat, an additional battery (bank) dedicated for the HVAC installed when HVAC is installed, and a removeable blank panel that can be installed when HVAC is not installed would provide options that could be employed depending on the geographic area where the boat is assigned.

• Thermal Imager (i.e., FLIR) o Operators provided mixed feedback on the FLIR with most operators indicating it provided limited usefulness.

• Fender o Person-in-water rescue ropes on the collars were snag hazards and considered unnecessary.

• Visibility o The size and location of window mullions, especially forward / forward corners, had significant impacts on visibility.

• Storage o Storage locations inside the cabin (glovebox, storage cubby, etc.) that provide semi-secure stowage for a variety of miscellaneous gear (phones, gloves, sunglasses, etc.) were very useful.

• Firing Arc o Firing arcs varied across the demo boats. This sketch reflects input on preferred firing arcs if cabin configuration can accommodate. It is not a Government-approved or mandated configuration, preferred layout, requirement, or evaluation standard.