Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

Spearhead class
Class overview
BuildersAustal USA
Operators United States Navy
Cost
  • $214m/unit (initial)[1]
  • $180m/unit (production)[2]
Built2010–present
Planned19
Building2[3]
Completed14[3]
Active14
General characteristics
TypeExpeditionary Fast Transport
Tonnage1,515 tonnes
Length103.0 m (337 ft 11 in)
Beam28.5 m (93 ft 6 in)
Draft3.83 m (12 ft 7 in)
Propulsion
  • Four MTU 20V8000 M71L diesel engines
  • Four ZF 60000NR2H reduction gears
Speed43 knots (80 km/h; 49 mph)
Range1,200 nmi (1,400 mi; 2,200 km)[4]
Boats & landing
craft carried		Can deploy various rigid hull inflatable boats[5][6]
Capacity600 short tons[4]
Troops312
Crew41
Armament4x mounts for M2 .50 caliber machine guns[7] (2 aft, 2 forward)
Aircraft carriedLanding pad for a helicopter, up to CH-53 Super Stallion/CH-53K King Stallion,[8] parking and storage area for MH-60 Seahawk[7]

The Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport (EPF) is a United States Navy–led shipbuilding program to provide a high-speed, shallow draft vessel intended for rapid intra-theater transport of medium-sized cargo payloads. The EPFs can reach speeds of 35–45 knots (65–83 km/h; 40–52 mph), and allow the rapid transit and deployment of conventional or special forces, equipment and supplies.[9][10]

The vessels are a part of Military Sealift Command's Sealift Program.[11] The class was previously designated as "Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV)", and redesignated in September 2015.[12]

  1. ^ "Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV)" (PDF). Defense Acquisitions: Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs (Report). Government Accountability Office. March 2013. pp. 83–84. GAO-13-294SP. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  2. ^ Civilian-crewed vessels see larger role in amphibious ops - Navytimes.com, 9 December 2014
  3. ^ a b "Austal USA Delivers 14th Expeditionary Fast Transport to United States Navy" (Press release). Austal. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b Low Cost Ship Options for U.S. Navy's Drug War - News.USNI.org, 20 March 2013
  5. ^ Marines conduct crisis response exercise from USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) - Dvidshub.net, 21 March 2014
  6. ^ Joint High-Speed Vessel turns heads during Bold Alligator - Navytimes.com, 9 November 2014
  7. ^ a b Joint High Speed Vessel: Great Potential, But Questions Remain Archived 30 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine - Nationaldefensemagazine.org, March 2011
  8. ^ Joint High Speed Vessels Support Marine Corps Missions - Navylive.DoDlive.mil, 14 October 2014
  9. ^ "Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV)". US Navy. Retrieved 12 March 2010. [dead link]
  10. ^ "Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV)". GlobalSecurity. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 11 January 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ A New Class of Ship – 'Expeditionary Support' - Navytimes.com, 3 September 2015