Two ships were ordered by Greece in March 1988 and built by Hellenic Shipyards.

Four other ships were ordered by the Royal Moroccan Navy all received between 1987 and 1990.

[3] El Lahiq is equipped with a cartographic sonar and North American navigation systems for hydrographic research.

[4] On 4 May 2018, a Turkish-flagged cargo ship named Karmate (IMO: 8135461, MMSI: 271002030)[5] collided with HS Armatolos P-18 off the coast of the island of Lesbos, while the gunboat was participating in a NATO mission (called Aegean Activity for controlling migrant flows into the Aegean) in the Aegean Sea.

[6][7][8] According to available information, before the collision, the captain of the gunboat sounded warning horns and sent repeated radio messages, but there was no response from the Turkish ship, while the Turkish ship violated maritime safety rules (like giving priority to a military vessel).