Fact file: Namacurra-class harbour patrol boats

Designation:

Harbour Patrol Boat (HPB)

Numbers:

26¹

Manufacturer:

Tornado Products.

Cost:

Not known.

Associated project names:

Xena (Replacement programme).

Boat’s company:

4.

Major dimensions & weights:

• Displacement:

• Growth potential:

• Length:

• Beam:

• Draught:

• 5mt.

• Not known.

• 9m.

• 2.7m.

• 0.8m

Hull:

Twin hull catamaran made from glass reinforced plastic (GRP, “fibreglass”) sandwich.

Survivability:

Not known.

Main machinery:

Two Yamaha outboards delivering 279kW (380hp).

Performance:

• Speed, max:

• Range, nautical miles:

• 32kts.

• 180 at 20kts.

Electronics:

• Countermeasures:

  • Decoys:

  • ESM/ECM:

• Combat management system:

• Weapons control:

• Radars:

  • Surface search:

  • Fire control:

  • IFF:

  • Navigation:

• Sonar:

• None.

• None.

• None.

• None.

• Furuno I-band.

• None.

• None.

• None.

• None.

Armament:

• Missiles:

• Guns:

• Scare charges:

• None.

• Various 12.7mm HMG and 7.62mm GPMG.

• M26 hand grenades.

Expected life-time:

Not known.

Comment:

Built in South Africa by Tornado Products in 1980-81 these boats can also be transported by road. Some have been deployed on inland dams and rivers. One transferred to Malawi in October 1988 and two each to the navies of Namibia and Mozambique in 2002. Another was lost at sea off Port Elizabeth in the 1980s.. They were manned by Marines until 1990 and are now crewed by the Operational Boat Squadron of the Maritime Response Force. To be replaced as part of Project Xena.