BAE Systems Maritime Australia, which has secured the contract to build the first three Hunter class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy, started work on the task order with a steel-cutting ceremony for the initial vessel at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide, South Australia.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas presided over the event on Friday, which Ben Hudson, BAE Systems Australia CEO, described as “a proud moment” for everyone in the company. “Hunter will be one of the most technologically advanced, stealth-capable anti-submarine warfare vessels in the world,” he said.
The shipbuilding project is part of Canberra’s plan to invest $7.28 billion over the next 10 years to boost RAN’s fleet with six Hunter-class frigates and three upgraded Hobart-class destroyers.
The Australian Hunter vessels are patterned after the Type 26 Global Combat Ship. BAE Systems is already building the first four Type 26 vessels for the British Royal Navy at its Glasgow shipyard in the U.K.
Craig Lockhart, BAE Systems Australia managing director, pointed out that the company had a head start in the Hunter shipbuilding project. Six of the vessels’ protection blocks were already produced after their designs were approved.