The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has shortlisted two foreign shipbuilders to develop a replacement for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)’s ageing ANZAC-class frigates under the A$10 billion SEA3000 general-purpose frigate programme, it announced on 25 November.
According to the DoD, the two downselected companies – out of an initial group of five shipbuilders – are Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) with the Mogami frigate design and Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (tkMS) MEKO A-200 design.
The DoD added that the new frigates will be configured for undersea warfare as well as local air defence. It intends to build the first three of 11 planned frigates in the country of the winning bidder, while the remainder will be constructed by Australian industry at the Australian government’s new Henderson Defence Precinct at the Henderson Shipyard in Western Australia.
“The decision to progress the Mogami and MEKO A-200 designs was informed by a rigorous evaluation by [the DoD] that identified these designs as likely to best meet Australia’s capability requirements,” the DoD stated, nothing that it will work closely with the two shipbuilders to progress their respective designs for the RAN.
The first SEA 3000 frigate is expected to be delivered by 2030, it added.
“The rapid, accelerated work of the general-purpose frigate program to date underpins the next stages of the acquisition to ensure this capability is delivered this decade, providing [the RAN] with enhanced anti-submarine and anti-air warfare capabilities,” said Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery Pat Conroy.
Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) earlier selected MHI and Japan Marine United Corporation (JMUC) to be respective main and subcontractors to develop a new and improved variant of the Mogami-class frigate currently used by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
ATLA announced in August 2023 that the “New FFM” will have a greater overall length of about 142 m and a wider overall beam of about 17 m, in addition to a larger standard displacement of about 4,500 tonnes. However, MHI had earlier stated that its design would displace around 4,880 tonnes at standard loads.
In contrast, the JMSDF’s current Mogami-class frigates feature an overall length of 132.5 m, an overall beam of 16.3 m, and a standard displacement of about 3,900 tonnes.
Germany’s MEKO naval combat vessel design has been in operation with navies around the world since the 1980s, including Algeria, Brazil, South Africa, and Poland. The RAN and Royal New Zealand Navy’s ANZAC-class frigates are also based on the MEKO 200 platform.
The MEKO A designs include the 1,650 tonne MEKO A-100 multi-purpose corvette and the 3,500 tonne MEKO A-200 frigate. Improvements include increased payload stealthiness as well as modular architecture and advanced propulsion systems.
by Jr Ng
