Australia’s first OPV prepares to go to sea
An artist’s rendering of Australia’s Arafaura-class OPV sailing at sea. (Luerssen Australia)
COVID-19 has impacted the original contract schedule of Australia’s new class of OPVs, but five vessels are currently under construction.
The Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) initial Arafura-class OPV is being readied to go to sea for the first time. In a significant feat of planning, five OPVs are simultaneously under construction in two disparate shipyards.
Luerssen Australia is prime contractor for Project Sea 1180 Phase 1, and its CEO Jens Nielsen told Shephard the company was preparing the ship to go to sea.
‘It’s going through a series of tests at the moment, and we are preparing for this, and then we want to deliver the ship – hand it over to our customer – towards the end of
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
-
![RTX confirms US Marine Corps and US Navy acquire Hadalus UUV]()
RTX confirms US Marine Corps and US Navy acquire Hadalus UUV
RTX told Shephard that the Hadalus UUV has been procured by the US Marine Corps and the Office of Naval Research for operational experimentation as the company prepares additional demonstrations with the US Navy, NATO and AUKUS partners.
-
![Europe’s naval contractors benefit from growing refit and upgrade demand]()
Europe’s naval contractors benefit from growing refit and upgrade demand
Rheinmetall’s order to modernise the German Navy frigate Bayern points to a wider European shift towards extending warship service life as new-build programmes face delay.
-
![The UK joins the movement towards joint procurement]()
The UK joins the movement towards joint procurement
The UK will spend an estimated US$3.89 billion over the next decade in joint naval programmes, a lot of which will be in cooperation with Norway.
