The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has put the new Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) HMAS Arafura into service, enhancing the maritime patrol and national water security capacity.
The commissioning of the vessel represents RAN’s commitment to upgrade the fleet, with Arafura class OPVs set to support the National Defense Strategy.
In this context, the Arafura class patrol boats will work in synergy with the shared patrol fleet of the RAN and the Australian Border Force to ensure the security of Australian maritime borders.
The new OPVs and the latest generation of motorboats, like the HMAS Arafura, are larger and more advanced than previous models, enabling them to perform a wide range of tasks and roles, including humanitarian operations, disaster relief, and support for other RAN missions.
The Arafura class OPVs are set to replace the Armidale class motorboats and are designed to perform maritime patrol tasks and response for the Australian Defense Force.
#### Key Features of Arafura Class OPVs
The Arafura class patrol boats displace 1,640 tonnes, are 80 meters long, 13 meters wide, and have a 4-meter draft, while the crew consists of forty men.
The ships are powered by two diesel engines of 4,250 hp each, allowing them to reach a maximum speed of 20 knots, while the range is about 7,000 km.
The Arafura OPVs are armed with a 25 mm Typhoon RCWS and a couple of heavy machine guns caliber 12,7×99 mm. The onboard equipment also includes 2 8.5 meter RHIBs and 1 11 meter RHIB, as well as the necessary equipment for the use of light UAVs.
Arafura and the NUSHIP Eyre were constructed by Luerssen Australia, with four other ships of the class currently under construction at the Henderson shipyard in Western Australia, thus strengthening the regional commitment and operational capacity of the RAN.
Source and photo credit: Royal Australian Navy (RAN)
