Bill Roggio's latest from Iraq is about the Marine's Dam Security Unit
Their primary mission is to provide for security on the Haditha Dam. To acheive this, they conduct patrols and provide a quick reaction force on the river and lake. But the DSU is looking to expand its mission to support operations up and down the river.
Their boats are called Small Marine Riverine Craft, are 40 feet long by 10 feet wide, and are powered by twin souped up 880 horsepower racing engines. The SMRC can easily exceed 40 knots, and is both quick and highly maneuverable. Because it is jet driven and not propeller driven, the SMRC can go into waters as shallow as 9 inches. It holds a crew of five, and can carry up to thirteen Marines for an assault.
The boat packs some serious firepower to go along with its speed. It mounts two M240G machine guns forward, and either a .50 caliber machine gun at the rear, or a or a Mark 19 grenade launcher. The boat is also equipped to mount an electric powered gatling gun.
Read the whole thing.
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