Austal seals Pacific contract
Austal has signed an AU$280 million (US$210 million) contract with Australia’s Department of Defence (DoD) to build and maintain 19 patrol boats for South Pacific neighbours under the Pacific Patrol Boat programme.
The steel-hulled vessels will be constructed at Austal’s facility in Henderson, Western Australia, with Austal proposing to carry out sustainment – including deep maintenance – at its facilities in Cairns, Queensland.
According to a DoD media release, Austal has also been awarded a AU$24 million contract to provide support services for an initial seven-year period. Total support and sustainment is valued at around AU$400 million over the boats’
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
Competitive P17B tender marks a shift in Indian Navy frigate procurement
The Indian Navy's P17B programme is expected to combine greater weapons capacity with a competitive domestic construction model, although key systems could remain dependent on international supply chains.
-
How France’s SNLE 3G programme is reshaping the naval nuclear industrial base
Extending far beyond a four-submarine replacement programme, France’s ballistic missile submarine effort is a decades-long industrial initiative designed to preserve the country’s ability to build and sustain nuclear-powered strategic platforms.
-
China’s mineral processing dominance exposes naval supply chain vulnerabilities
Competition for critical minerals, and China’s dominance of their processing, is emerging as a decisive factor in future naval procurement programmes.
-
Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
-
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.