Portugal approves €24 Million sale of four Tejo-class patrol vessels to Dominican Republic.

Portugal authorized the sale of four Tejo-class coastal patrol vessels to the Ministry of National Defense of the Dominican Republic for a total of €24,000,000, setting an individual price of €6,000,000 per ship.

On February 17, 2026, Portugal authorized the sale of four Tejo-class coastal patrol vessels to the Dominican Republic Navy for €24 million. The transfer of NRP Tejo, NRP Douro, NRP Mondego, and NRP Guadiana follows approval by the Portuguese Council of Chiefs of Staff and forms part of bilateral defense cooperation. The vessels will strengthen Dominican maritime security and counter drug trafficking operations in the Caribbean.
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A defining feature of the Tejo-class is the StanFlex modular system, which can be exchanged in approximately 48 hours, enabling role conversion between surveillance and pollution control, combat, mine countermeasures, minehunter, and minelayer tasks. (Picture source: Portuguese Navy)

The vessels concerned are NRP Tejo (P 590), NRP Douro (P 591), NRP Mondego (P 592), and NRP Guadiana (P 593), following a favorable opinion on January 15, 2026, by the Council of Chiefs of Staff. The transfer takes place within the framework of defense cooperation and a Portuguese transfer program of war material to the Dominican Republic, following contacts with the Dominican Vice-Minister of Defense for Naval and Coastal Affairs, Vice-Admiral Ramón Gustavo Betances Hernández, aimed at strengthening Dominican naval capacity.

The authorization also covers optional contractual systems and equipment that, if fully exercised, may reach €24,370,000 in additional value. The Director-General of Armament and Defense Assets, António José de Morais Baptista, is delegated powers, with the possibility of sub-delegation, to conduct all pre-contractual procedures, sign the contractual instruments, oversee execution, and ensure compliance with fiscal obligations. On June 16, 2025, during his weekly press briefing in Santo Domingo, President Luis Abinader stated that the Dominican Republic would sign an agreement with Portugal to acquire at least two offshore patrol vessels, with the possibility of increasing the number to four.

He specified that the vessels would be ships currently used by Portugal to combat drug trafficking and that they would be employed by the Dominican Navy for the same purpose, noting that the country did not previously operate comparable offshore patrol vessels. Abinader indicated that the agreement could be signed within that same week and that negotiations had been ongoing for approximately one year following his official visit to Portugal. He stated that discussions had progressed from an initial figure of two ships to four and that the first vessel could arrive before the end of 2025. The President linked the outcome to bilateral engagement with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and to follow-up conducted after high-level meetings. He presented the acquisition as part of broader national security spending increases driven by external factors, including regional drug trafficking routes and cross-border criminal activity.

The Portuguese Tejo-class derives from the Danish Flyvefisken-class patrol vessel, also known as the Standard Flex 300 class, built between 1985 and 1995 for the Royal Danish Navy. Portugal acquired four units in October 2014, formerly named Glenten, Ravnen, Skaden, and Viben, together with a fifth hull, Gribben, intended for spare parts. The ships were incorporated into Portuguese service in 2015 and 2016 under the names NRP Mondego, NRP Douro, NRP Guadiana, and NRP Tejo, replacing older Cacine-class patrol vessels. The Flyvefisken-class was conceived to replace three distinct Danish vessel types, including Søløven-class torpedo boats, Sund-class coastal minesweepers, and Daphne-class seaward defense craft, through a modular concept allowing role change without altering the basic hull. In Portuguese service, the Tejo-class ships have been assigned primarily to patrol and maritime security duties, including missions into Portugal’s exclusive economic zone.

Each Tejo-class patrol vessel measures 54 meters in length, with a beam of 9 meters and a draught of 3.80 meters. Displacement is listed at 345.8 tonnes, while the broader Flyvefisken-class family indicates 320 tonnes light and 450 tonnes at full load. Crew complement in Portuguese service is 26 personnel, composed of 5 officers, 5 sergeants, and 16 enlisted sailors, although the Flyvefisken design allows for a range between 19 and 29, depending on the mission. The hull construction uses a sandwich structure with fiberglass layers on either side of a PVC cell foam core, a method intended to reduce maintenance demands. The class, categorized as a coastal patrol vessel rather than a frigate or corvette, focuses on maritime surveillance, presence, and security tasks suited to coastal and near-sea operations.

Propulsion in the Tejo-class uses a combined diesel and gas (CODAG) arrangement, which includes one General Electric LM500 gas turbine rated at 4,066 kW, equivalent to 5,453 horsepower, and two MTU 16V 396TB94 diesel engines providing a combined 4,226 kW, equivalent to 5,667 horsepower. This arrangement enables a maximum speed of 30 knots when operating the turbine and diesels together, and 20 knots on diesel power alone. An auxiliary hydraulic propulsion system, based on a GM 12V-71 500 hp diesel engine, provides low-speed maneuvering capability, while three additional auxiliary GM 6-71 diesel generators supply onboard electrical power. Operational range is stated at 3,860 nautical miles at 18 knots, supporting multi-day patrol cycles without refueling, allowing for rapid response within a national maritime zone and sustained presence missions at cruising speed.

A defining feature of the Flyvefisken-class is the StanFlex modular system, which allows containerized weapons or mission systems to be installed in standardized slots within the hull. The vessels can carry up to four StanFlex modules, with one position on the foredeck and three on the quarterdeck behind the superstructure and funnel. Each container measures 3.5 by 3 by 2.5 meters and can be exchanged in approximately 48 hours, enabling role conversion between surveillance and pollution control, combat, mine countermeasures, minehunter, and minelayer tasks. This modularity allowed the Danish Navy to replace torpedo boats, minesweepers, and coastal defense craft with a single adaptable hull type. For Portugal, the same architecture provided flexibility in configuring the ships primarily for patrol duties while retaining structural compatibility with additional systems. In the context of transfer, the modular concept permits the receiving Dominican Navy to select mission modules according to operational priorities and budget.

Sensor and weapon options associated with the Flyvefisken-class architecture illustrate the range of potential configurations. Sensors listed for the class include Terma Scanter Mil 009 surveillance radar, Thales TMS 2640 Salmon variable depth sonar, Furuno navigational radar, EADS TRS-3D air search radar in combat configuration, and Plessey AWS-6 air search radar in mine countermeasures configuration. A Saab 9LV 200 Mk 3 fire control radar can be integrated for weapon employment. Weapon module options include launchers for Boeing RGM-84 Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles, Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles, a 76 mm OTO Melara 76 mm/62 naval gun, 323 mm MU90 anti-submarine torpedoes, and equipment for laying up to 60 naval mines, in addition to 12.7 mm machine guns. The sale authorization specifically allows for optional contractual systems and equipment up to €24,370,000, establishing a financial ceiling for additional capability beyond the €24,000,000 hull value.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.