The U.S. Coast Guard is getting a major horsepower boost thanks to a pair of blown Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Small Block V8 engines. The new powerplants will mount in the rear of two Coast Guard air boats and drive an enormous fan to provide forward propulsion.
The news comes to us from Katech Performance, which recently posted to social media that the U.S. Coast Guard ordered up two “LT5 Marine AirBoat engines.”
For those who may be unaware, Katech Performance is based out of Michigan, and is well known for providing the engines and support for the Chevrolet Corvette Racing Team. With the help of Katech Performance, the Chevrolet Corvette Racing Team has taken top honors at a number of prestigious races, including the Indy 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Daytona, among many others.
“We are proud to have completed these two Katech LT5 Marine AirBoat Engines for the U.S. Coast Guard,” reads the recent post at the Katech Performance Facebook page. “These engines reach 800 hp on 91 octane and engine data is displayed to the boat operator via a Bosch Motorsport DDU9 integrated with the factory ECU.”
As a reminder, the LT5 is the same 6.2L overhead valve (OHV) supercharged V8 gas engine that can found mounted in the nose of the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. In factory spec, the LT5 lays down as much as 755 horsepower and 715 pound-feet of torque, which means the two Katech air boat engines are even more potent than the stockers sourced from the factory.
Meanwhile, the Bosch Motorsport DDU9 is a customizable digital dashboard with data logging capabilities that’s specifically designed for motorsport applications. It’s uncertain how the Coast Guard will program the unit, but its high degree of customizability will certainly play a part in making the transition to Coast Guard duties.
So then, if you’re ever in an emergency and call the Coast Guard for help, just listen for the engine note of Chevrolet Corvette LT5 V8, and rescue will surely follow.
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Comments
so sort of like what HRL did in putting 1000 hp LS9 engines in there GP Boats and by the way those things sound MONSTOROUSLY AWSOME.
Im pretty sure the some of the clowns in the world out there would rather hear the terrible sound of the soon to be flat plane crank V8. It’s a shame this engine didn’t last long, didn’t get to hit its potential. GM should have put this in C8 so all the power would have gotten to the ground. I hope they at least put this in the ZL-1. They should refresh the Camaro and replace the 2.0 and 3.6 with the 2.7, give the SS a 6.2 direct and multi port fuel injection, and give the ZL-1 the LT-5 to compete with the GT500.