Austal Australia has completed the delivery of the final (24th) Guardian-class patrol boat to the Republic of Maldives as part of the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project in partnership with Australia.
The program, initiated in 2016, focuses on enhancing maritime security by supplying advanced patrol vessels to allied nations across the Indo-Pacific region.
The handover ceremony took place in Malé at HMAS Stirling, Western Australia, attended by representatives from the Australian Department of Defence, the Royal Australian Navy, and the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
This milestone marks Maldives as the 14th recipient nation of the Guardian-class platform.
The vessel’s design draws from earlier Royal Australian Navy patrol boats, including the Armidale, Bay, and Cape classes, offering versatility for both littoral and open-sea missions.
With a length of 40 meters and a beam of 8 meters, it accommodates up to 20 crew members and is armed with a 20mm remote weapon system along with 12.7mm machine guns.
Equipped with two diesel engines generating 2,100 horsepower each, the vessel can cover 3,500 nautical miles and reach speeds of up to 37 km/h.
