Cutlass-class patrol vessel
Class of fast patrol boat of the Royal Navy
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The Cutlass class is a class of fast patrol boat of the British Royal Navy.
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Royal NavyHMS Cutlass, 2022 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cutlass class |
| Operators | Royal Navy |
| Preceded by | Scimitar class |
| Cost | £9.9m for two, including 4 years support |
| In service | 2021–present |
| Completed | 2 |
| Active | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Patrol boat |
| Displacement | 35 t (34 long tons) (full load)[1] |
| Length | 19 m (62 ft 4 in) |
| Propulsion | 3 × Volvo D13 engines (1,000 hp, 750 kW) driving 3 × MJP 350X Waterjets |
| Speed | 41 knots (76 km/h; 47 mph) |
| Complement | 6 personnel and up to 6 passengers |
| Armament | 3 × general purpose machine guns (bow & stern-mounted) |
| Aircraft carried | "Quadcopter" light reconnaissance/surveillance UAVs can be embarked[2][3] |
The two vessels of this class are a commercial HPB-1900 design, built to military specifications by Merseyside-based Marine Specialised Technology[4] at a cost of £9.9m for two (including 4 years support).[5] The vessels are being assigned to serve in a sovereignty protection and coastal security role with the Royal Navy's Gibraltar Squadron.[6] The first vessel, HMS Cutlass, arrived in Gibraltar in November 2021 while the second, HMS Dagger, arrived in Gibraltar in March 2022.[7]
As of 2023, the Cutlass class are the smallest commissioned vessels in the Royal Navy, being slightly lighter, in terms of displacement, than the Royal Navy's survey vessel HMS Magpie.
In 2025, "Quadcopter" light reconnaissance/surveillance UAVs, operated by a team from 700 Naval Air Squadron, were integrated into the operations of the Cutlass-class vessels and the Gibraltar Squadron.[8][9]
_mooring_in_HM_Naval_Base,_Gibraltar.jpg)
