HMAS Hunter
![]() Type 26 frigate | |
History | |
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Name | Hunter |
Namesake | John Hunter |
Ordered | 21 June 2024 |
Builder | BAE Systems Australia, Osborne |
Cost | AU$3.9 billion |
Commissioned | Projected 2031[1] |
In service | Projected 2034[2] |
Identification | Pennant number: |
Status | Under construction |
General characteristics | |
Type | Hunter-class frigate |
Displacement | 8,800 t (8,700 long tons; 9,700 short tons) full load displacement |
Length | 151.4 m (497 ft) |
Beam | 21.4 m (70 ft) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 27+ knots |
Range | 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) in electric motor drive[3] |
Complement | 180 personnel, with accommodation for 208 |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Electronic warfare & decoys | Nulka decoy launchers |
Armament |
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Aircraft carried |
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Aviation facilities | |
Notes |
HMAS Hunter (FFG) is the lead ship of the Hunter-class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy.
Development and design
[edit]The Hunter-class frigate is a future class of frigates for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to replace the Anzac-class. Construction is expected to begin in 2020, with the first of nine vessels to enter service in the late 2020s.[7] The Program is expected to cost AU$35 billion and a request for tender was released in March 2017 to three contenders: Navantia, Fincantieri, and BAE Systems as part of a competitive evaluation process.[8]
The Hunter-class frigate will be an Australian variation of the Type 26 class frigate that is to be operated by the Royal Navy from the mid-2020s. The class will have a 8,800-tonne (8,700-long-ton; 9,700-short-ton) full load displacement and will be approximately 150 metres (490 ft) in length. The vessel will be capable of sailing in excess of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) and will have a full complement of 180 crew.[9][3]
Construction and career
[edit]Hunter was ordered on 30 June 2018 and named after Vice Admiral John Hunter. She will be built by BAE Systems Australia in Osborne.[10] First steel was cut on prototype blocks in December 2021.[11] The first steel that will actually be used in Hunter was cut in June 2024.[12] The ship had been expected to be commissioned in 2031[13] but is only projected to be operational in 2034.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ "Australia's Hunter-class frigates are coming, but maybe not soon enough". The Strategist. 2020-11-26. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ^ "Australia Cuts Steel On Its First Hunter-Class Frigate". Naval News. 21 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "Hunter Class FFG". Royal Australian Navy. n.d. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- ^ Kerr, Julian (17 May 2017). "Anti-submarine future frigates to be armed with SM-2 missiles to blunt far-distant attacks". The Australian. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
- ^ "Joint Media Release - Prime Minister, Minister for Defence and Minister for Defence Industry - New Approach to Naval Combat Systems". Department of Defence. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ Kerr, Julian (5 March 2019). "The Type 26 frigate mission bay. Part 2 – configuration and contents". Save the Royal Navy. Retrieved 2018-06-01.
- ^ 2016 Defence White Paper (PDF). p. 93. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ^ Pyne, Christopher (2017-03-31). "$35 billion Future Frigate Tender". www.minister.defence.gov.au. Archived from the original on 2017-04-03. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
- ^ Wroe, David (28 June 2018). "British frigate program to seed Australia's own warship industry, Turnbull says". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2018-06-28. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
- ^ Kuper, Stephen (2018-06-28). "Here comes the Hunter: BAE awarded $35bn SEA 5000 Future Frigate contract". www.defenceconnect.com.au. Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ^ Roberts, Peter (August 28, 2022). "First Hunter frigate block emerges after 45,000 work hours". AuManafacturing. Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ Staff, Naval News (2024-06-21). "Australia Cuts Steel on its First Hunter-class Frigate". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
- ^ "Australia's Hunter-class frigates are coming, but maybe not soon enough". The Strategist. 2020-11-26. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ^ "Australia Cuts Steel On Its First Hunter-Class Frigate". Naval News. 21 June 2024.