Tender for sea boats for Australian Navy and Army

  • January 9, 2023
  • Posted by: Madrigal Admin
  • Category: Tender News
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The Australian Defence Force (ADF) Family of Sea Boats Acquisition tender requires the ADSB boats to be deployed from the Boeing CH-47F, Chinook helicopter, and the C-27J Spartan transport aircraft.

Request for tender for 8.5 m sea boats for Navy and air droppable sea boats for Army

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) Family of Sea Boats Acquisition tender was  established to provide the ADF with the first two classes of sea boats in a family of sea boats they require. The intention is to use a consistent acquisition program across the sea boat family rather than the previous ad hoc procurement approach.

Consistent acquisition across the family of sea boats will maximise the commonality between variants to increase interoperability, training and support efficiency. A longer term goal, not included in this tender, is to transition ADF sea boat support into a single sustainment program. This will be aligned with the Navy’s Plan Galileo, the network of regional maintenance centres and the maintenance network of Joint Logistics Command (JLC).

The ADF Family of Sea Boats Acquisition has been structured around the engagement of an Australian industry capability partner. They will work with the Commonwealth to design, manufacture, build, test, certify, deliver and, in the future, sustain a fleet of ADF sea boats through life.

The first stage of establishing the ADF Family of Sea Boats is to acquire air droppable sea boats (ADSBs) for Army and sea boats of up to approximately 8.5m for Navy.

Sea Boats Acquisition—Army

The Army requires nine ADSBs, with the first three to be operational by 2027, to replace the current Army air droppable rigid hull inflatable boats (ADRHIBs). The ADRHIBs will be withdrawn from service in 2028.

(The ADSB boats are designed to be deployed from the Boeing CH-47F, Chinook helicopter, and the C-27J Spartan transport aircraft as shown).

Sea Boats Acquisition—Navy

The Navy requires 34 Navy Sea Boats (NSBs) to outfit the SEA1905 Maritime Mine Counter Measures and Military Survey (MMCMMS) Vessels and the SEA5000 Hunter Class Frigates (HCF) plus boats for training and as spares.

Later stages of the ADF Sea Boat Program, yet unapproved and not within the scope of this tender, may include further procurement of NSBs. These will outfit some existing surface ships and provide replacements for the Navy’s current fleet of 7.2 m Zodiac J3 sea boats.

The tender closes on 20 March 2023. Madrigal is highly experienced in major maritime defence projects.