The Royal Australian Navy has taken delivery of the fourth of eight Evolved Cape-class patrol boats from Austal.
The vessel, ADV Cape Capricorn, was officially accepted by the Commonwealth of Australia on February 13.
“Austal has now delivered four Evolved Capes to the Royal Australian Navy since the contract was signed in May 2020 and we are launching a new vessel every three months, after around 12 months construction,” Austal CEO Paddy Gregg said.
“The fifth vessel, the future ADV Cape Woolamai, is alongside now and we have three more Evolved Capes at various stages of production, here in Henderson.
Austal says it is on track to deliver all eight boats in the class to the navy by mid-2024.
The first three Evolved Cape-class patrol boats, ADV Cape Otway, ADV Cape Peron and ADV Cape Naturaliste were delivered in March, August and November 2022, respectively.
The new Capes will be joining the original ten units already in service with the navy and the Australian Border Force.
Based on Austal’s 58 meter aluminium monohull patrol boat design, the new RAN Capes include a number of enhancements that further extend the capability of the vessel and the fleet. Crew accommodation has been increased by 10 people, to now total 32 and ‘quality-of-life’ provisions have been enhanced, ensuring those who operate the new Capes have WIFI connectivity to the outside world regardless of the operating environment.
