Milkor UAE is approaching the completion of its new 16-meter Commander high-speed patrol craft, with plans to introduce the vessel to the market in the upcoming months.
Speaking at the NAVDEX 2025 exhibition in Abu Dhabi, held from February 17 to 21, James Cottrell, Head of Marine Projects at Milkor UAE, shared that the prototype is in the final stages of qualification testing. “The vessel will be ready for market launch during the first half of 2025,” Cottrell stated.
The development of the Commander patrol craft began in 2023. A scale model of the vessel was publicly showcased for the first time at the World Defense Show in Riyadh in February 2024.
Designed with an aluminum monohull, the Commander is built for high-speed, long-range missions. Its operational roles include maritime patrol, interception, surveillance, and search and rescue operations.
Key specifications of the vessel include a full load displacement of 20 tonnes, an overall length of 16.5 meters, a beam measuring 4.4 meters, and a draught of 0.8 meters. The patrol boat can be equipped with either two Caterpillar C12.9 engines producing 1,000 horsepower each or two Volvo D13 engines with the same horsepower. These engines are paired with twin Hamilton HJ403 waterjet propulsion units or alternatively two MLP 400X waterjets. The Commander can achieve a top speed of 45 knots and maintains a cruising speed of 35 knots, offering a range of 500 nautical miles.
To improve situational awareness, the vessel is equipped with an advanced sensor suite, including a multimode radar system, an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) gimbal, and a 360° thermal camera. Unlike conventional patrol vessels that typically rely on a single radar-camera system, Milkor’s approach enhances target tracking and threat detection through multiple integrated sensors, ensuring greater maritime surveillance capabilities.
Milkor has stated that the creation of the Commander was motivated by a growing need for rapid naval response capabilities due to increasing threats such as piracy, human trafficking, and smuggling along the coastlines of Africa and the Middle East. The company emphasizes its extensive expertise in developing and supporting naval vessels and notes that it has the capacity to produce ships up to 30 meters in length.
