Indo Pacific 2025: Austal unveils new optionally crewed vessels

A model of the Vantage 25 concept on display at Indo Pacific 2025. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)

Australian shipbuilder Austal has unveiled a pair of optionally crewed vessels that can be deployed to carry out a range of missions from transportation tasks to mine-countermeasure (MCM) operations.

The concepts, known as the Vantage 25 and Vantage 55, are being shown to the public for the first time at the Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition 2025 in Sydney held from 4 to 6 November.

Speaking to Janes at the exhibition, Fergus Hudson, who oversees research and development (R&D) for defence projects at Austal, described the Vantage line as one that can be easily adapted for modular payloads.

The smaller of the two concepts is the Vantage 25, which has an overall length of 25 m and an overall beam of 6 m.

It can accommodate up to one 20 ft container on its payload deck and a crew complement of up to six persons if required.

Propelled by two controllable pitch propellers, the Vantage 25 can attain a top speed of 20 kt and a maximum range of 1,200 n miles when cruising at 10 kt.

Meanwhile the larger of the two concepts is the Vantage 55, which has an overall length of 54.5 m and an overall beam of 9.6 m.

This concept can carry a payload of up to 100 tonnes or the equivalent of up to eight 20 ft containers.

While similarly propelled by two controllable pitch propellers, the Vantage 55 can attain a higher top speed of 25 kt and a maximum range of up to 6,000 n miles when cruising at 12 kt.