The Ukrainian Navy has published a video showing off the new patrol boats, received just a few weeks ago from Estonia. Formerly known as Р01 Roland and Р02 Risto in the Estonian naval forces, Irpin and Reni are now on duty guarding the coast in the Ukrainian south.
Both vessels belong to the NAVY 18 WP class — military combat boats designed primarily for patrol and reconnaissance duties. These two were delivered to Ukraine in April 2024, by Estonia in coordination with Denmark, although while the former is known to allocate the boats, the Danish contribution remains unclear. Officially accepted in the Ukrainian Navy on May 2.
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Prior to this handover, the ships had served for 3.5 years in the Estonian Armed Forces who pointed out their low draft and good maneuverability. The compact dimensions were also useful for operating in relatively small harbors of Estonian ports. The NAVY 18 WP, produced by Baltic Workboats AS, is almost 18 meters long, the hull is made of aluminum. Maximum speed is 33 knots (60 km/h), cruising speed is 25 knots. The operational range is 480 km.
The armament is quite dull: one 12.7mm machine gun in front and two mounts for 7.62mm guns in the rear. However, the 12.7mm is implanted into a gyro-stabilized remote control weapon station operated from inside the cockpit. It is called Sea deFNder, and is made by FN Herstal, headquartered in Belgium.
The weapon station has a day and night camera, laser rangefinder and automated target tracking capability. The specific gun installed into the system is chosen among three options, the most powerful one can fire at a rate of 1,100 rpm. Which one is the now-Ukrainian boats are equipped with, is not detailed.
Upon entering service with the Estonian military in 2021, the total cost for both ships was valued at EUR 3.9 million.
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