Since 2011, Birdon has been contracted by the Australian Defence Force to design and construct 21 Regional Patrol Craft, including trailers. The vessels are integral to the Regional Force Surveillance Unit (RSFU) and Border Protection Force operations.

With these vessels, the Army has the capability to operate in blue, brown, riverine and brackish waters supporting smaller watercraft up to 12 nautical miles offshore. The vessels are also suitable for the harsh Australian Coastline having been designed and built to insert, extract and support foot patrols and to provide parent craft aid to other vessels in remote areas.

All vessels are being built in accordance with the Lloyd’s Register classification at Birdon’s accredited, all weather aluminum fabrication facility in Port Macquarie.

The Regional Patrol Craft (RPC) are 8.2m in length with a beam of 2.8m. They are powered by a 355 hp Cummins engine driving a Hamilton Water Jet, which can propel a fully laden RPC to the speed of 25 knots. Each vessel has the capacity to carry a full patrol plus crew.