BAE Systems Australia ceremonially cut steel on the first batch of Hunter-class Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) frigates at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia on June 21. The company signed a production contract with the Commonwealth of Australia for the first batch of three vessels on the same day. The first ship, HMAS Hunter, is due to be completed in 2032 and fully operational by 2034. The Royal Australian Navy initially planned to buy nine Hunter-class ships but reduced this to just six based on a government review into the navy’s surface combat fleet.
In response to claims of inadequate Vertical Launch System cells, BAE Systems Australia unveiled a Guided Missile Frigate variant, but the government’s surface combatant review recommended reducing the Hunter vessels from nine to six and acquiring 11 new general-purpose frigates. The decision was influenced by Australia’s reduced strategic warning time. The future fleet will consist of 11 general-purpose frigates and nine tier-one warships.
BAE Systems Australia’s managing director of its Maritime division commented on the reduction in the number of Hunter-class frigates being cut, stating that the company now has clarity around its future. The workforce, skills, knowledge base, and local supply chain are being developed to enable Australia to build and sustain its own complex warships for generations to come.
