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Patrol & mine warfare vesselsJune 2025 – presentProfile in progress
Offshore patrol vessel
Arafura-class patrol vessel is a offshore patrol vessel. It was built by Lürssen (designer) BAE Systems (2 ships) Civmec (4 ships). Reported operators include Royal Australian Navy.
Arafura class
Lürssen (designer) BAE Systems (2 ships) Civmec (4 ships)
Royal Australian Navy
Armidale -class patrol boat
A$ 3.6 billion (2018) (equivalent to A$ 4 billion in 2022) for 12 vessels A$ 300 million (2018) (equivalent to A$ 337 million in 2022) per unit
November 2018 – present
June 2025 – present
12
4
2
6
2
Offshore patrol vessel
1,640 tonnes
80 metres
13 metres
4 metres
2 x 4,440kW diesel engines
22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) (maximum)
4,000 nmi (7,400 km)
21 days
2 x 8.5m Boomeranger FRB850 RHIBs davit launched 1 x 10.5m Boomeranger C1100 RHIB stern ramp launched
40
SAAB Situational Awareness System (SAS) with: Saab EOS500 electro-optical fire control director, Terma SCANTER 6002 radar, Furuno navigation radars Safran Vigy Engage electro-optical surveillance and fire control multisensor system
2x .50 calibre machine guns
Unmanned aerial vehicle ; light UAV capability to be integrated under Project Sea 129
Utility deck
Although having a common design (which could be up to 2,000 tonnes in displacement ), the ships would use a modular mission payload system to fulfill specific roles; primarily border patrol , mine warfare , and hydrographic survey .
It was anticipated that the new ships could have displaced anywhere up to 2,000 tonnes, although defence magazine editor Kym Bergmann predicts that this 'worst case' would require 50,000 tons of steel or aluminium to be fabricated (compared to 36,000 tons for the Attack-class submarine program), and unless multiple shipbuilders are involved, the 12- to 18-month construction time per vessel will see the last ship enter service during the late 2020s.
While designing the Independence -class trimarans for the Littoral Combat Ship program, Australian-owned shipbuilder Austal also prepared a scaled-down version that could serve as the basis for the Australian OPV. The Austal Multi Role Vessel (MRV 80) would have an overall length of 80 metres, a top speed of 26 knots, carry an NH-90 or similar helicopter, and have 500 square metres for mission equipment or cargo.
The Arafura -class is based on the Lürssen-designed Darussalam -class , operated by the Royal Brunei Navy . Each vessel has a gross displacement of 1,640 tonnes , and measures 80 metres long, with a beam of 13 metres and a draft of 4 metres. Propulsion power is from two MTU 16V diesel engines rated at 4440kW each, which drive variable pitch propellers and give a top speed of 22 knots, and shipboard electrical power is generated by MAN diesel engines. The ship's range is about 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km), with an endurance of 21 days. The standard crew complement is 40 sailors, though up to 20 more can be berthed if required. The ships will be deployed with empty space available to install container-mounted systems such as aircraft support and sensors; if fully utilized, the gross displacement could increase to 1,800 tonnes.
Shipboard armament was originally intended to be a single 40 mm gun and two 12.7 mm guns. The 40 mm gun was cancelled in 2021 due to a combination of technical problems and a re-assessment of the threats the ships would face. The ships will instead be armed with a Typhoon Weapon Station on an interim basis until a replacement weapon is identified and then acquired. In May 2023, it was reported that the RAN was considering purchasing a containerised variant of the C-Dome surface-to-air missile system to improve the Arafura -class's armament. In 2024, the Department of Defence decided the class would not have a main gun and changed the operational role of the class. The RAN directed that work on the interim Typhoon Weapon Station cease.
Each vessel carries two 8.5 metre rigid inflatable boats and a single 10 metre boat, which are intended as the primary means of deploying offensive force in the ships' border patrol role. A single unmanned aerial vehicle is carried and deployed from an open utility deck. Two separate electro-optic targeting systems and three radars are installed and managed by the Saab 9LV system. In order to allow the ships to operate in conjunction with allied international forces, each ship is equipped with a unique electronic identifier transponder that allows for communication via the Link 16 network.
According to the Department of the Defence, while the flight deck will not land helicopters, it can carry weights of up to 11 tonnes.
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Arafura-class patrol vessel equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
AustraliaNavy exact named equipment holdings: Arafura. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: PATROL AND COASTAL COMBATANTS / PSO. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.