Login
iscover
Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko visited Sentinel Boat’s Hobart facility, inspecting the 830R rigid hulled inflatable boats currently under construction for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
The boats form part of the $100 million military assistance package announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, with the ambassador taking the opportunity to ride on board one of the 830R designs.
The military assistance package includes $30 million worth of uncrewed aerial systems and $15 million for other high-priority equipment, including the rigid hulled inflatable boats.
Fifty million dollars was also allocated towards short-range air defence systems and the delivery of air-to-ground precision munitions.
According to Sentinel, the boats can be deployed across a range of mission profiles within defence and law enforcement, and utilise high-density polyethylene that improves strength, stability, and vibration dampening to reduce crew fatigue.
George McGuire, chief executive officer of Sentinel Boats, welcomed the opportunity to support the Ukrainian defenders; “It is the ultimate honour to have our craftmanship and reliability trusted internationally and to have this opportunity to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.”
The company noted that the acquisition of the high-density polyethylene boats will ensure that they will not need to purchase replacement boats, allowing Ukraine to focus their constrained resources on future reconstruction efforts.
“The reduced cost ownership benefit HPDE offers is demonstrated by Sentinel’s first boat still being in active service after nearly 30 years of daily use in a demanding commercial environment,” McGuire added.
“The speed and agility of the 830R platform is expected to be used across a range of mission profiles, from riverine operations in Ukraine’s complex waterways, through to open sea boarding operations.
“The 830R can be rapidly deployed and requires minimal maintenance, resulting in greater operational availability whenever the Ukrainian forces need it.”
The boats are scheduled for delivery over the coming months.
