Australia New Australian Navy patrol boat being built in WA following China laser attack

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A new Navy defence vessel is being built in Western Australia as part of Australia's latest protections against security threats. (9News)

One of six new Navy defence vessels is being built in Western Australia as part of Australia's latest protections against security threats.
It is part of the federal government's $334 million defence package aiming to strengthen Australia's borders.
"We can't just pretend the world is going to continue on the way it has and the war in Ukraine has demonstrated that," Assistant Minister for Defence Andrew Hastie said.

The 58m boat is being built at the Austal shipping yard in the Perth suburb of Henderson.
"The average build time is just about 18 months to build one of these vessels, something we are very proud of to sign a contract for this vessel and deliver the first in two years," Austal CEO Padd Gregg said.
The new vessel is designed to patrol the same waters around the Coral Sea where the Chinese Navy used a laser to attack a Royal Australian Air Force plane in February.

"That's a reminder we have to be vigilant, we have to be prepared to survey and patrol our approaches and defend our sovereignty and that's why we need these patrol boats," Mr Hastie said.

The new boats will be delivered to the Navy every four months, with the fleet expected to be finished and in the water by the end of 2023.

One of six new Navy defence vessels is being built in Western Australia

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