RAN receives Cape class patrol boat
Austal has delivered the first of two Cape class patrol boats to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from its shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia, the company announced on 24 April.
Cape Fourcroy is one of two 58m Cape class vessels ordered by the National Australia Bank under a $47 million contract signed in December 2015. The vessels will be leased to the RAN, which will deploy them for the protection and surveillance of Australia’s EEZ and maritime borders.
David Singleton, CEO, Austal, said: ‘This latest Cape class for the RAN further strengthens Austal’s position as the only patrol boat designer and builder in Australia and a major world class exporter for this class of vessels. The delivery of the Cape class vessel clearly shows Austal’s unrivalled ability to design and construct defence vessels on-time and on-budget.’
Eight Cape class vessels have previously been delivered to the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service by Austal between 2013 and 2015 as part of a $330 million contract awarded in August 2011.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
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.
-
How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?
With Canada committed to its River-class replacement and the USN pursuing a lower-cost frigate, Rheinmetall will need to demonstrate where the GMF 140 can fill a capability gap in the North American fleet.
-
Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment
Australian businesses can now bid to support Virginia-class submarine sustainment in Western Australia, as momentum around the Henderson Defence Precinct also builds.
-
South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest
Washington’s search for a foreign-built frigate could hand South Korea, Japan and Turkey a larger prize than a double-hull order: a foothold inside the US shipbuilding industrial base.