Sentinel Boats has secured a contract to supply up to seven general-purpose rigid-hull inflatable boats for the Australian Special Operations Command.
Sentinel Boats has secured a contract to supply up to seven general-purpose rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) for the Australian Special Operations Command.
The deal covers the Tasmanian firm’s proprietary 830R single point lift (SPL), the latest variant of its 830R platform built for defense, law enforcement, and rescue missions.
The company will initially deliver two vessels to the force later this year.
The 830R-SPL features launch-and-recovery capability from a moving ship, along with a pneumatic solution that expands payload and personnel capacity.
It has a self-righting design first developed for the Royal New Zealand Navy to help the RHIB sustain its even keel orientation if it flips over.
The platform is built from high-density polyethylene, which Sentinel said improves durability, crew protection, and field repairability compared with conventional materials.
“The 830R was first developed as a high-performance police vessel,” Sentinel Boats CEO George McGuire stated.
“Now the latest variant, the 830R-SPL, will enter service with Australia’s elite Special Operations Command for use across a wide range of training and operational scenarios.”
McGuire noted that the award supports Australia’s domestic defense manufacturing sector.
“It will help create more skilled jobs, secure our national sovereign defence capability, and play a small part in turning around our nation’s declining manufacturing sector,” he said.
Sentinel Boats builds its craft in partnership with Sydney-based One2three Naval Architects, with current production involving 17 Sentinel 780R systems for the Royal New Zealand Navy and other defense customers.
