On Friday, June 21, at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide (South Australia), the cutting ceremony of the first steel for the Hunter-class lead frigate (Hunter, "Hunter"), intended for the Australian Navy, took place.
Earlier this year, the government announced the most significant investments in the surface fleet in decades, including commitments to build six Hunter-class frigates in South Australia to significantly improve the Navy's strike capabilities.
Cutting of the first steel for the lead frigate of the Hunter class, Australia
Government of South Australia
Layout of the Hunter-class frigate, Australia
Naval News
The contract for the construction of the first three Hunter-class frigates has been signed with BAE Systems Australia, while it is expected that the first ship will enter service in 2034.
The construction of the frigates will unfold at the Osborne Naval Shipyard, and the delivery of all six ships will be completed in the first half of the 2040s.
At its peak, this program will provide about 3,000 jobs directly involved in the production of frigates, as well as another 5,000 jobs in the supply chain.
Initially, it was planned to purchase nine Hunter-class frigates, and the cost of the entire program was estimated at 45 billion Australian dollars (about 26.8 billion euros). As a result, the government decided to reduce the purchase to six units.
The ships for Australia were developed on the basis of British Type-26 class frigates. The total displacement will be 8,800 tons, length – 151.4 meters, width – 21.4 meters. The maximum speed will exceed 27 knots. The cruising range is 7,000 nautical miles. The crew consists of 180 people. Additional accommodation is provided for another 28 people.
It was decided to include SM-2 and ESSM anti-aircraft missiles, anti-ship missiles (the specific type has not yet been named), 127-mm guns, 30-mm and 20-mm artillery complexes, as well as 324-mm torpedoes in the arsenal of Hunter-class frigates.
