The Zodiac Milpro Futura Commando 470 or in short FC470 Combat Rubber Raiding Craft (CRRC), also known as the "Combat Rubber Reconnaissance Craft," is a specially fabricated rubber

inflatable boat An inflatable boat is a lightweight boat constructed with its sides and bow made of flexible tubes containing pressurised gas. For smaller boats, the floor and hull is often flexible, while for boats longer than , the floor typically consist ...

often used by the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

, U.S. Marine Corps, the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, and others. The CRRC is typically called "Zodiac," referring to the boat's manufacturer,

Zodiac Milpro Zodiac Milpro, headquartered in Paris, France, is a company that manufactures inflatable boats and rigid hull inflatable boats for the emergency services, military and professional users, including heavy-duty inflatable work boats that can carry ...

Function

The boat can be used for over-the-horizon transportation, inserting lightly armed raiding parties or reconnaissance teams onto beaches, piers, offshore facilities and larger vessels. The CRRC can be inflated in minutes by foot pump, compressor or CO₂ tank and can be deployed from shore and a variety of vessels. Additionally, it can be launched from several types of aircraft and submarines equipped with a special lockout chamber or a

Dry Deck Shelter A dry deck shelter (DDS) is a removable module that can be attached to a submarine to allow divers easy exit and entrance while the boat is submerged. The host submarine must be specially modified to accommodate the DDS, with the appropriate mating ...

. Its chief advantages are light weight, compact size when stowed, stealth, versatility, and the safety imparted by its super-buoyant nature (which gives it the ability to operate in relatively high seas). A total of eight individual airtight chambers comprise the FC470. The main hull or

gunwale The gunwale () is the top edge of the hull of a ship or boat. Originally the structure was the "gun wale" on a sailing warship, a horizontal reinforcing band added at and above the level of a gun deck to offset the stresses created by firing ...

contains five intercommunicating chambers, which are separated by internal baffles and

valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings ...

s. This means that a single leak will not result in loss of pressure throughout the boat, and that air can be bled between chambers to compensate for loss in one. Two additional chambers, located below the gunwale on either side and called "speed skags," provide cushioning for the boat's occupants and additional

buoyancy Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is an upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of a partially or fully immersed object. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus the p ...

in case of pressure loss in the hull. The final chamber is an inflatable keel tube which runs the length of the craft and gives the bottom of the hull a "V" shape, imparting directional stability and additional shock absorption. A wooden "transom" board at the stern provides a mounting point for the

outboard engine An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...

(s). The deck (floor) is composed of four interlocking aluminum plates, which are fixed to the "thrust board" at the bow end and the transom at the stern. This rigid structure, spanning the entire internal area of the boat, prevents the hull from collapsing or "taco-ing" under power. CRRC BLT 2ndBattalion2ndMarines

A ready-for-use craft includes an outboard engine (two in some configurations); removable aluminium deckplates or roll-up slatted decking; paddles; a bow line for securing the docked boat and a "righting" line which is used to flip the boat in the event of capsizing. At the bow of the boat are storage bags for equipment (foot pumps, extra lines, etc.) and a special fuel bladder, which can be of either 6- or 18-gallon capacity and which feeds the engine via a flexible hose. Deflated and rolled up, the boat and all necessary equipment can easily fit into the bed of a small pickup. Most military CRRC's use a

two-stroke engine A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...

with a

pump-jet A pump-jet, hydrojet, or water jet is a marine system that produces a jet of water for propulsion. The mechanical arrangement may be a ducted propeller (axial-flow pump), a centrifugal pump, or a mixed flow pump which is a combination of both ...

propulsor, which consists of a shrouded impeller. This design reduces the risk of serious injury to personnel in the water when compared to the traditional open propeller. It also reduces the risk of the propulsion system being seriously damaged by submerged objects. A specially-trained

coxswain The coxswain ( , or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the cockboat, a type of ship's boat ...

sits at the stern (rear) of the boat and controls it via the tiller arm, attached to an outboard engine. The coxswain is considered the commander of the craft and is ultimately responsible for its operation, regardless of whether a senior-ranking individual is on board. Across from him sits the assistant coxswain, who relays hand signals from other boats and aids the coxswain as required. The remaining passengers (six raiders plus the two coxswains make up a full team) normally lay on and straddle the gunwale, keeping a low silhouette to help avoid detection and leaving room on the deck for weapons, equipment and (if necessary) additional fuel bladders. Because the CRRC offers no protection to its occupants and is itself highly vulnerable to small-arms fire, operations involving it almost always take place at night and depend on the elements of stealth and surprise. To alleviate this, Zodiac introduced ArmorFlate, the world's first inflatable bulletproof system for inflatable boats, in 2002. It can be installed on the Zodiac FC470 and inflates in 40 seconds.

Specifications

*Length 4.7 m (15'5") *Width 1.9 m (6'3") *Empty weight 146 kg (322 lb) *Max engine weight 110 kg (243 lb) *Max passengers: 10 *Max payload (including fuel): 1,250 kg (2,756 lb) *Max range: varies depending on fuel load and payload

References

External links

{{Commons category, Combat Rubber Raiding Craft
Zodiac Milpro
Landing craft Inflatable boats Military boats Special forces Frogman operations Combat diving

Function

Specifications

See also

References

External links