Australia narrows SEA 3000 frigate designs to TKMS and MHI
The MEKO A-200, one of the two options to become the replacement for Australia’s Anzac-class frigate. (Picture: Wolfgang Fricke/Wikimedia Commons).
Two modular frigate designs will be considered as the replacement to Australia’s ageing Anzac-class.
The procurement process for Australia’s new general purpose frigates has narrowed from five contender companies to just two – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) from Japan and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) from Germany.
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has long been looking for a new design to replace its ageing Anzac-class vessels with modern frigates that could be on station by 2029. Construction on the frigates has been scheduled to begin in 2026. The Navy has been looking for a minimum of seven, and an optimum of 11 frigates, with designs that are at least the size of the existing Anzac-class vessels, and potentially anything
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