Australia's Hunter ASW frigate requirement confirmed by SCR
The release of the Commonwealth of Australia’s Surface Combatant Review (SCR) has confirmed the Hunter Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) frigate requirement, which is being delivered by BAE Systems Australia.
Image courtesy BAE Systems
The SCR has significant implications for BAE Systems Australia’s local operations including the Hunter Class Frigate Program at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia and its maritime sustainment facilities at Henderson in Western Australia.
The Commonwealth’s confirmation that the Hunter program will continue and deliver six Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) frigates underlines the Government’s confidence in the Hunter class and the ability of BAE Systems and its partners to deliver this critical capability for the Royal Australian Navy.
With the announcement that the build of these six Hunter ASW frigates in Osborne will be followed by the build of three Air Warfare Destroyers to replace the Hobart class, the workforce in Osborne and BAE Systems Australia’s partners will have work until the mid-2040s.
This plan of continuous naval shipbuilding will underpin the continued creation of a world class shipbuilding enterprise in South Australia that will be able to support the Royal Australian Navy in times of peace or future uncertainty, all while creating and sustaining jobs for many Australians in the advanced manufacturing sector.
The parallel announcement of a plan for continuous shipbuilding work in Western Australia through the build of General-Purpose Frigates will see workforce growth across the Henderson precinct, a location where BAE Systems Australia has a large presence supporting the ANZAC class frigates with its partners.
Ben Hudson, Chief Executive Officer, BAE Systems Australia, said: “Today’s announcement provides decades worth of work at Osborne in South Australia and will see a growth in the work forecast in the West at the Henderson precinct. This will underpin Australia’s ship building enterprise into the future and sustain vital Australian jobs in high end manufacturing, while providing resilience for our nation in uncertain times.”
Craig Lockhart, Managing Director of BAE Systems Australia - Maritime, said: “Thanks to the dedication and commitment of our workforce at the Osborne Naval Shipyard, we’ve already made significant progress in delivering the Hunter programme and we are committed to working with the Government to deliver the programme and ensure the Royal Australian Navy has the capability it needs to meet the challenges of the future.”
