SOCOM Awards $10 Million Contract for Jet Boots for Special Operators

• US particular operators are investing in tech to give it an benefit in opposition to very capable adversaries.
• US Unique Operations Command not long ago awarded a $10 million contract for jet boots to give its divers that edge.

With the US military services reorienting by itself for a prospective conflict with a highly capable adversary, the US special-functions local community is investing in capabilities and know-how that would give it an advantage in such a conflict.

A the latest investment decision is in a futuristic piece of technologies that would have a ton of positive aspects for one of that community’s hardest task: beat diver.

Jet boots

—Patriot3, Inc. (@Patriot3Inc) May possibly 26, 2022

In April, US Specific Functions Command awarded a $10 million contract to the Virginia-based enterprise Patriot3 for the buy and servicing of the Jet Boots Diver Propulsion Process. The agreement is a “agency-fastened-cost” arrangement for the supply of an indefinite selection of jets boots up to 2027.

Jet boots use a battery pack and a brushless motor system to propel the diver. The boots have two thrusters on the aspect of each and every leg that the operator can maneuver with their body, releasing up their arms for other tasks.

Jet boots are mainly utilized by the Army Distinctive Forces fight-diver groups and Navy SEALs, and versions currently in use can go a diver at speeds up to 4 knots whilst letting them to be “totally comfortable” and conserve strength.

The consensus amid exclusive operators who have utilised jet boots is that when you get employed to them they are quite simple to use and run. For illustration, particular operators employing jet boots for the duration of pay a visit to, board, research, and seizure missions or maritime counterterrorism functions could get on target more quickly and be extra rested as soon as they arrive.

US Navy/CPO Andrew McKaskle

The boots have added benefits and drawbacks, according to John Black, a retired Eco-friendly Beret warrant officer.

“Beat divers are recognized to and anticipated to be equipped to dive for really extensive durations of time and to swim for hours on finish. Dependent on the latest of the h2o and the rate of the dive, this could depart the diver fatigued by the time he reaches the beach. Then the diver is expected to perform a mission,” Black told Insider.

“Diving is a suggests of infiltration. The battle diver are unable to be exhausted just from the infiltration,” Black included.

Relocating via the water with these kinds of relieve would be a good help to overcome divers, but in some conditions, there is a draw back to minimizing exertion.

“In colder waters, employing jet boots ought to be meticulously prepared,” Black mentioned. “A diver becoming motionless for an hour in cold h2o, when consistently breaking new drinking water, could depart the diver hypothermic. So it ought to be remembered that it is a resource, not a vehicle.”

An asset if made use of proper

—Patriot3, Inc. (@Patriot3Inc) February 4, 2022

Staying in a position to go farther more quickly and arriving a lot less fatigued — and consequently improved geared up — would be an asset to a battle diver workforce and could make a big difference in between accomplishment and failure.

“They arrive with a hefty price tag tag, but you get amazing effects. You have guys accomplishing 5-[kilometer swims] and working with barely any oxygen and more importantly becoming absolutely rested and ready to go on hitting the beach,” a retired Eco-friendly Beret with in depth encounter in fight diver operations informed Insider.

The Army Unique Forces operator spoke on the ailment of anonymity because of ongoing perform with the government.

A primary tenet of US special operations is that “people today — not machines — make the crucial variance,” and distinctive operators acquainted with the jet boots caution from relying also a great deal on technological innovation, as a improperly selected and experienced commando would not be as successful regardless of machines.

US distinctive-functions forces will continue on to evolve along with their mission set, Black instructed Insider.

“If we be expecting our best fighters to go any place and do anything, they ought to be equipped with the most up-to-date technological know-how and tools,” Black stated. “I do see SOF teams applying these [boots] extra generally, nonetheless maintaining their core duties and exercise at the base of everything they do.”

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a protection journalist specializing in specific functions, a Hellenic Military veteran (countrywide services with the 575th Maritime Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.