The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) has officially launched its fleet of Sentinel 1250 Littoral Manoeuvre Craft (LMC), to be deployed by HMNZS Matataua as part of the RNZN’s Littoral Warfare Force.
Tasmanian advanced manufacturer, Sentinel Boats (formerly PFG), has built three boats for the RNZN, which can be configured for a range of mission profiles including dive operations, hydrographic survey support and reconnaissance.
“We are incredibly proud of the LMCs, which are highly versatile and deliver truly unique capabilities to the RNZN, including the ability to launch and recover a 5.3m tender,” said George McGuire, Sentinel Boats CEO.
“These boats have been developed as a true partnership between Sentinel Boats and the RNZN and they are already proving their worth in service applications. They have been described as a ‘game-changer’ by the RNZN.”
The final LMC bound for New Zealand will be displayed at the Indo Pacific 2023 International Maritime Exposition in Sydney on November 7-9.
Sentinel Boats has also partnered with international defence technology experts L3Harriss to conduct autonomous demonstrations of the Sentinel 1100 on Sydney Harbour during the expo.