BAE Systems Australia has laid the keel of the first Hunter-class frigate slated for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) at Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia.
The future HMAS Hunter will be built as a variant of the Type 26 warship originally developed by BAE Systems. Variants of the Type 26 are also being built for the UK and Canada, while construction will soon begin on five examples for Norway.
The RAN plans to acquire nine Hunter-class ships, which will be used primarily for anti-submarine warfare.
The Hunter-class ships will replace the ageing Anzac-class frigates that were originally built in the 1990s. The new frigates are scheduled for delivery beginning in 2034.spe
The newer ships' modular mission bays will allow them to undertake a wide range of missions including humanitarian and disaster relief. Each ship's integrated mission bay and hangar will be capable of supporting multiple helicopters, unmanned vehicles, boats, mission loads and disaster relief stores.
Modifications will be made to the baseline Type 26 design to satisfy RAN requirements. These include specialised radar and sonar, aviation facilities for an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, MU90 torpedoes, a vertical launch system, a decoy system, and a torpedo defence system.
Each frigate will feature an acoustically-quiet hull, modular digital design, and open systems architecture to facilitate through-life support and upgrades as new technology develops.
A launcher can be provided for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle operation, and the flight deck will be capable of landing a Chinook helicopter to transport land forces.
