Australian defence shipbuilder Civmec recently unveiled a selection of proposed upgrades for the Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) being manufactured for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
Upgrades under what the company has labelled as a "capability enhancement" for the OPVs will encompass weapon systems, sensors, and facilities for employing unmanned vehicles.
Civmec clarified that the enhancements would not impact the ships' construction schedules and that these may instead be incorporated at a later time.
The armament upgrade will entail each OPV's Northrop Grumman Bushmaster 25mm main gun being replaced with a Bofors 57mm autocannon firing programmable ammunition as well as the installation of a stern-facing quadruple launcher for anti-ship missiles.
Each ship will also have space for ISO containers that can house either loitering munitions or unmanned aerial vehicles optimised for reconnaissance missions.
The sensor upgrade will meanwhile encompass the installation of a Thales towed variable depth sonar (VDS) in a module near the rigid inflatable boat launch bay at the stern. The VDS can be operated either as a standalone system or in conjunction with a hull-mounted sonar.
Civmec said the capability enhancement will focus on ensuring available equipment can be rapidly integrated into the OPVs instead of upgrading the ships' combat capability to be nearly similar to those of the RAN's larger destroyers and frigates.
