A boat with tank treads, it sounds like a G.I. Joe toy vehicle we took home from Toys“R”Us when we were 11 years old, maybe coming with a bonus action figure named Neptune who specializes in deep sea diving and knife throwing. However, the U.S. Navy has reportedly taken home two such play sets this year.
The real-life 31-foot boat is called the Extreme Purpose Interdiction Craft (EPIC) made by Iguana USA. Pressing a button lowers from the hull a pair of rolling treads like those of a tank.
This unique capability is primarily designed to allow the boat to traverse sand bars and other low obstacles that would normally inhibit passage around coastal waterways.
The CEO of the company recently told National Defense Magazine that they sold two of them to the U.S. Navy but did not disclose which unit or units would utilize them.
"They are in international waters right now," he told the magazine.
If you'd like to live out your G.I. Joe fantasies, or maybe experience a very real amphibious maritime capability that the U.S. military is utilizing, you can book a test drive through the company's website.