Swiss Army patrol boats
Manufacturing and equipping
Starting point
The old patrol boats had come to the end of their lifecycle and were in need of repair.
The contract was awarded to the Marine Alutech Oy Ab company from Finland. Shiptec AG in Lucerne received a subcontract from Marine Alutech Oy and was responsible for the full development of 8 boats and the overall completion of the remaining 6 boats. As a result, a large amount of the value added remained in Switzerland.
The new patrol boats were for use on Lake Constance, Lake Geneva, the Ticino lakes and on the Rhine for refresher courses. Recruits are trained on Lake Lucerne and the patrol boat 16 is used on Lake Neuchâtel for the Air Force’s sea survival training.
Goals
14 Watercat 1250 patrol boats to replace the old patrol boat 80. Patrol boat 16 was tailored precisely to suit the customer’s needs. It was designed in CE category B and is suitable for use in difficult weather conditions. The boats are primarily used for:
- Protecting border sections on bodies of water
- Monitoring lakes and rivers regardless of weather conditions
- Supporting border guards and civil police organisations during subsidiary security operations. Transporting a limited number of military units and civilians
- General support of army troops during their tasks on and around the water
All 14 boats were manufactured in stages and handed over to the customer in Lucerne on time from 2018 to 2020.
