The PTF-3 is the unglamorous surface counterpart to the SSF-5 Barracuda. The PTF-3 doesn't even rate a class name - ships are named individually by crews, with some guidelines to maintain decorum in the Grand Duke's service.

The PTF-3 patrol boat is a workhorse with all the features expected of a patrol boat, and then some. It has an excellent sensor suite, a Beagle Active Probe, for detecting both surface and subsurface smugglers and boaters in trouble. Within the Grand Duchy's territorial waters, it benefits from an all-pervasive sensor network that includes buoys and sea bottom sensor pods. The interface with such systems is present in the export model, but rarely used.

The PTF-3 is also fast enough to chase down most other surface vessels, and has a monohull suited for deep water operations. At the customer's request, river- and shallow-water hulls are available. Steerable propulsor pods on the stern and twin rudders make the PTF-3 quite nimble in close quarters. The power plant is normally the common 300 Vlar fusion power plant; at the expense of one of the gauss rifles (see below), the engine may be replaced with a 300 ICE and extended cargo capacity for extra fuel. In either case, the engine is located under the VTOL landing pad (see below) and is easily removed for maintenance. The use of electric drives frees the engine of the tyrany of shaft-driven propulsors.

The bow of the PTF-3 holds the "Smuggler's Nightmare," a pair of Impulse-7 200mm Rail Guns in a compact turret. These simple gauss rifles are well supplied with ammunition and usually within the capability of most purchasers to maintain with locally built components. These weapons give the PTF-3 considerable utility in wartime, too, but opponents should not expect the PTF-3 to necessarily have the gauss rifles. Alternate turrets are available that replace one gauss rifle with twin LRM 15s, twin LRM 15 torpedo launchers, an Arrow IV, or (automatically both GRs are replaced) a Long Tom. The artillery pieces give the PTF-3 the ability to blockade a much wider section of ocean and work well with the light VTOL the PTF-3 carries (see below). The turret cannot fire into the rear arc of the PTF-3 because of the super structure. Along the flanks, bow, and stern of the PTF-3 are paired 12.7mm Sperry-Browning M2Y heavy machine guns. These provide covering fire during boarding operations and give the PTF-3 more controlled fire power than the Impulse-7s, an important point when many of the boats the PTF-3 pulls over are 1- to 2-ton fiberglass power boats.

The stern of the PTF-3 holds a flat landing deck for a light VTOL, typically a marinized Ferret or similar 5-ton VTOL. This enormously improves the PTF-3's ability to chase down fast smugglers and expand its search range. For artillery-equipped PTF-3s, the VTOL makes an excellent spotter. Smugglers and other criminals generally face an even worse problem from the VTOL when it's a spotter, because they rarely have weapons with as much range as the VTOL's TAG...Whatever VTOL the end user picks, the Grand Duchy recommends one that can carry a squad of infantry and is amphibious. Such a VTOL greatly amplifies the PTF-3's SAR and boarding abilities. A light, unarmored hangar may be rolled out from the back of the superstructure to enclose the VTOL (folding rotors required for helicopters and tilt-rotors), but generally the troublesome hangar is removed by crews and VTOLs left exposed to the elements.

The PTF-3 has some cargo space, 5 tons worth, that is used to accomodate systems' growth and fuel for ICE VTOLs. It can also carry a squad of infantry (or about 10 passengers).