Watercat 1250 Patrol, state-of-the art P16 (Patrouillenboot 16) patrol boats are commissioned in the Swiss Army since 2017. The vessels are designed for military operations against possible aggressors but fitted also for supporting civil authorities against terrorist and illegal activities. In addition, the vessels are well suited for search and rescue (SAR) and disaster tasks. The vessels are equipped with advanced machinery control and navigation systems, command, control and communication (C3), day and night surveillance and reconnaissance systems as well as remote weapon system with 12.7mm machine gun. The vessels design allows them to operate in demanding weather conditions on large lake and river environments, but not limited to operate also in confined and shallow waters on littoral environment at sea. Thus, the vessels are designed to be easily transported by road from water to water. One of the main requirements were that the Swiss Army reservists (Milizsoldaten) must be able to operate the boat.
Watercat 1250 Patrol can carry up to 15 persons with their equipment in wheelhouse and cabin. Self-protection systems such as ballistic protection, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) and versatile lightweight weapon systems can be installed for different tasks. In the design and construction, special attention has been paid to vessel’s easy and cost-effective maintenance during its life cycle. Thus, the vessel’s operational sustainability is very high.
Watercat 1250 Patrol boat hull is made of marine grade aluminium and the construction is all welded. The propulsion system consists of two onboard diesel engines with stern drives, giving a top speed of more than 35 knots with a full load. Sprint speed for the lightweight vessel can be reached above 40 knots.
The vessels for the Swiss Army were built both in Marine Alutech’s shipyard in Finland and in Marine Alutech’s project partner shipyard Shiptec AG in Switzerland.