3rd Guardian-Class Patrol Boat Delivered to Papua New Guinea

Austal Australia handed over the 13th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense for delivery to the Papua New Guinea Defense Force By DA Staff / 05 Nov 2021

Discover Leading Defense Technology Solutions

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Follow DA

Austal Australia has delivered the 13th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, known as NUSHIP Francis Agwi, was then gifted by the Australian Government to the Papua New Guinea Defense Force at a ceremony held at Austal’s shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia.

The vessel is the third of four GCPBs to be delivered to Papua New Guinea under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (SEA3036-1), part of the Australian Government’s Pacific Maritime Security Program.

Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said the new vessel was the fifth GCPB delivered by Austal Australia in 2021, and maintains a successful track record of on-time and on-budget deliveries for the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project.

“The Austal Australia Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement team, CASG’s SEA3036 Project Team and our trusted supply chain partners are to be congratulated on the delivery of the fifth Guardian-class Patrol Boat this year – and maintaining an outstanding track record of deliveries throughout the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project,” Gregg said. 

“Indeed, the Project teams’ successful collaboration has been formally acknowledged at the recent Essington Lewis Awards, for excellence in defense project management. 

“The Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project was announced as a finalist for the Major Acquisition Project Award for 2021, which is a great recognition of the fantastic effort by stakeholders from Defense, Austal and across the National Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise.”

Each vessel of the GCPB fleet will have an overall length of 39.5 meters, an overall beam of 8 meters, and a cargo deck area of 16 meters². It can accommodate up to 23 personnel.

Faster, with improved seakeeping, better amenities and an enhanced mission capability – including an integrated Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) stern launch and recovery system – the GCPBs provide the Papua New Guinea Defense Force with a naval asset to carry out border patrols, regional policing, search and rescue, and many other operations domestically and internationally.

The Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project was awarded to Austal Australia in May 2016, with an additional contract option awarded in April 2018, taking the program to 21 vessels valued at more than A$335 million. Twelve Pacific Island nations will receive the vessels through to 2023.

The Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project supports more than 200 direct jobs at Austal Australia and more than 200 indirect jobs nationally through Australian businesses contracted by Austal.

Posted by DA Staff Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

New Oscilloquartz Optical Cesium Clocks Enhance Network Timing Precision

Adtran is expanding its Oscilloquartz portfolio with the new OSA 3200 SP and OSA 3250 ePRC optical cesium models, providing improved holdover and simplified maintenance for telecom, data center, utility, and defense networks

Jul 09, 2025
Silicon Sensing to Exhibit MEMS-Based Navigation Systems at ISTS 2025

Silicon Sensing will exhibit its advanced MEMS inertial navigation technologies at ISTS 2025, showcasing precision solutions for space applications and compact sensor innovations

Jul 09, 2025
Advanced Motor & Motion Technologies for Mission-Critical Military Applications

Defense Advancement showcases innovative precision motor and motion solutions for mission-critical military and aerospace applications

Jul 09, 2025
Textron’s TSUNAMI™ USV Reinforces Maritime Security at FLEX25

Textron Systems successfully demonstrated the autonomous TSUNAMI™ USV during a real time operational scenario at FLEX25 in El Salvador

Jul 09, 2025
U.S. Army Selects MyDefence C-UAS Systems to Strengthen Force Protection

MyDefence has been selected to supply counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) technology to the U.S. Army, enhancing operational defense against drone threats

Jul 08, 2025
Inertial Labs’ Role in Drone LiDAR Survey of Tree Obstructions at JBLM Airfield

Inertial Labs technology outlines how it supported a US Air Force pilot project at JBLM to evaluate drone LiDAR for mapping tree obstructions near the airfield

Jul 08, 2025

Featured Content

Teledyne FLIR OEM Whitepaper: Synthetic Data Generation for AI Object Detection

Read Teledyne FLIR OEM’s whitepaper on AIMMGen™, a defense-oriented synthetic data and AI model generation pipeline tailored to Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) and object classification tasks

Jul 03, 2025
Galvion’s Production Hub in Poland Now Open & Operational

Galvion's new Production Hub in Poland has formally opened through a large ceremony held at the Gdansk facility with factory tours, demonstrations, and live models of helmets

Jun 30, 2025
Rugged Military IT Systems for Demanding Environments

Discover how MilDef’s rugged IT solutions support global defense operations, including a long-term deployment in extreme conditions with a European military unit

Jun 27, 2025
Advancing Defense Capability Through Strategic Collaboration Defense Advancement works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive defense capabilities forward.