Todjaeger
Potstirrer
My take (for just what that is worth...) is that purchasing some additional Cape-class patrol boats for the RAN to use/use up, while the Arafura-class OPV's are being constructed does make sense, with caveats.Some good discussion on this subject.
The starting point was the news of six additional CCPB for Navy and the question of manning a common Class of vessel in equal numbers by two different departments.
Is this the best and most efficient and effect approach?
Suggestion of Boarder Force and It's Marine element taking on a Coast guard function and how this would evolve and whether this is appropriate for Australia is an interesting question and probably warrants it's own thread.
As has being stated, there are many types of Coast Guard ,so what would be a good fit for Australia and should we go done this path.
As this is the RAN thread I'll leave it at that.
Regards S
If memory serves, the construction plan for SEA 1180 should take about a decade, so that last OPV should enter service circa 2030 or 2031. If that is accurate, then the Armidale-class patrol boats would either need to be replaced (which is what seems to be the plan behind purchasing more Cape-class PB's) beforehand, or get overhauled/MLU/SLEP'd. The lead vessel for the Armidale-class, HMAS Armidale entered service back in June 2005 or nearly 15 years ago. Again from memory, the submission for SEA 1444 had a planned service life of ~15 years, which the Armidale-class boats are just about to start hitting, and due to some previously reported design and maintenance issues, coupled with greater operational use and demands than planned for in the tender, there have been a number of issues which negatively impacted their availability for service. Given that the most recently built ACPB will hit 15 years commissioned service in 2023, or about seven years before the last OPV is completed, getting some stopgap replacements seems sensible. I doubt that a 50% of planned service life extension would be an effective solution to cover the gaps between when a number of the ACPB's would no longer be viable for service, and when their planned OPV replacements are available.
While it might end up that both Cape-class PB's and Arafura-class OPV's are kept in RAN service once the OPV production has been completed, I do not see how or why that would be kept up for very long. If new patrol boats were to get ordered now, they would IMO most likely all be in commission within three years, barring problems getting contracts signed and/or fabrication issues. Assuming the design in RAN service would have a similar ~15 year service life, then the last Cape-class PB would need to be replaced by ~2038, or around eight years after the last OPV enters service.
OTOH, any new PB's for the RAN might be gifted/sold to other users once the RAN's OPV replacement is available. Provided the gap in assets for patrolling is covered, then a few PB's purchased to serve over the coming decade seems sensible to me.