Inflatable Combat Boats for Ukraine to Come from the Land Down Under

In the next few months, Australia will deliver a batch of Sentinel 830R RHIB (Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat) boats to Ukraine as part of an AU$100 million ($66 million) military aid package Canberra announced last month.

“The 830R can be rapidly deployed and requires minimal maintenance, resulting in greater operational availability whenever the Ukrainian forces need it,” George McGuire, CEO of Sentinel Boats is quoted as saying by the company’s press service on its website.

Sentinel says its boats can be used in riverine operations and at sea.

Inflatable boats have played an important role with Ukrainian forces in establishing a bridgehead at Krynky, a village on the Russian occupied east side of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region.

 Vasyl Miroshnychenko, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Australia, posted on X Wednesday, May 15, that he’d inspected the Aussie boats.

The number of 830Rs to be delivered was not announced, but they are part of a tranche of about AU$15 million ($10 million) that also includes helmets, gas masks, and power generators.

The greater part of Australia’s transfer will be AU$50 million ($33 million) worth of short-range air defense systems. As Ukraine state news service Ukrinform reported, Australia will deliver RBS 70 MANPADS (man-portable air-defense systems) made by Sweden’s Saab Bofors Dynamics.

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There will also be a delivery worth of about AU$30 million ($20 million) worth of drones.

The RHIBs are now being built in Tasmania.

“It is the ultimate honor to have our craftmanship and reliability trusted internationally and to have this opportunity to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine,” McGuire is quoted saying.