Arafura-class

A steel-hulled offshore patrol vessel built by Austal and Luerssen for the Royal Australian Navy to conduct maritime security, border protection and constabulary patrol duties, replacing the Armidale-class patrol boats.

In service since 2022 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

1,640

8,000

nmi

crew

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

National export licensing

Subject to Australia export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 2022. Status: active · ~6 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 25 mm Typhoon remote weapon station

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 80 m

Naval

Displacement, speed, endurance and diving depth.

Displacement Standard displacement in tonnes — the ship’s size class. Larger hulls carry more but cost more and are less agile.: 1,640 t
Max speed Top speed in knots (surfaced, for submarines). Higher aids positioning and screening.: 22 kn

Bottom 7% of warships
Range Cruising range in nautical miles. Nuclear vessels are effectively unlimited (fuel-wise). Higher means more reach without replenishment.: 8,000 nmi

Stronger than 79% of warships
Complement Crew size. Fewer eases manning cost; more may indicate a larger, more capable platform.: 40
Propulsion plant Machinery type — nuclear reactor, gas turbine (COGAG), CODAG, diesel-electric, AIP.: 2× diesel engines, twin shaft

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 6

Stronger than 78% of warships
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 1

Stronger than 45% of warships

Specifications compiled from public Austal Limited and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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