The United States is building 13 small patrol vessels, based on the Damen Stan 2606 patrol vessel design, for small Caribbean nations, to be known as the Defiant class. The United States Navy, which will play an oversight role in the ship's construction, also calls the design Near Coastal Patrol Vessels. The $54 million contract was awarded to Metal Shark Boats of Louisiana.
Partner nations include Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Guatemala.
Like the United States Coast Guard's very successful , also based on the Damen 2606 design, the Defiant-class vessels are to be equipped with a stern launching ramp.
The vessels will be able to accommodate a crew of ten or more—similar to the Marine Protector class. The vessels are powered by a pair of C32 Caterpillar diesel engines.
Delivery + Delivery of Defiant-class patrol vessels Name Operator Homeport Commissioned Retirement Notes Dominican Navy Santo Domingo 2020-08-06 Betelgeuse GC-102 is the second ship in the Dominican Republic Navy to bear this name. The handover was attended by Emilio Recio Segura, Estanislao Gonell Regalado, Richard Vásquez Jiménez and Ney Aldrín Bautista Almonte, the senior officers in the Dominican Navy, Army, Air Force and National Police. Honduran Navy 2021-07-09 Navy of El Salvador 2021-07-22 National Aeronaval Service of Panama 2021-12-02 Costa Rican National Coast Guard Service 2023-04-01
See also – in the late 1980s, Australia provided 12 Pacific Island countries with small patrol vessels – Australian-built replacements for the patrol vessels it provided its neighbours, gifted to the same 12 Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste
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