of Defence white paper, proposed replacing the Armidales, along with the RAN's mine warfare and hydrographic vessels, with a single class of multi-role offshore combatant vessels (OCVs).Sea Power Centre, Australian Offshore Combatant Vessels These vessels, with a theoretical maximum displacement up to 2,000 tonnes, would use a modular mission payload system to change between roles as required, and would be equipped for helicopter or unmanned aerial vehicle operations.Boettger, The Offshore Combatant Vessel The 2013 white paper postponed the multi-role OCV as a long-term project. The 2013 white paper proposed that an existing OCV design be sourced as a short-term replacement for the Armidale class. Procurement project SEA 1179 is undertaking several studies towards the replacement of the Armidales. In April 2016, the Lürssen OPV80A design was selected to replace the Armidale class ships. The replacement OPVs will be larger and provide improved seakeeping and endurance. Construction started in 2018, with entry into service planned from 2022. A hull remediation program was implemented to extend the lifespans of the patrol boats to this point. Citations References Books The chapter is available separately as Semaphore, Issue 4, 2006 in PDF and HTML formats. Journal and news articles Press releases Websites External links Patrol Boat (PB) – Royal Australian Navy webpage for the Armidale class Delivery Royal Australian Navy 56m – Austal Ships webpage for the Armidale class The Armidale Class Patrol Boat Project: Project Management – Australian National Audit Office report on the acquisition of the class New patrol boats named after regional cities – Department of Defence press release detailing the meaning behind the names of the first 12 Armidale''s Patrol boat classes