BAE offers Australia guided missile variant of Hunter-class frigate
The Hunter-class frigate would provide a surface combatant capability matched only by the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. (Photo: BAE Systems)
The Australian Defence Strategic Review has called for a mix of Tier 1 and Tier 2 surface combatants amid speculation that the SEA 5000 Hunter-class frigate project would be cut back to pay for a potential new class of corvette – but BAE has returned fire with a new offering that could change Australian decision-making.
At the Indo-Pacific Maritime exhibition in Sydney on 7 October, BAE Systems outlined its proposal for a new guided missile variant of its Hunter-class frigate that would include a total of some 96 vertical launch cells and an additional 16 Naval Strike Missile launchers.
Speaking to reporters at the exhibition, Ben Hudson, CEO of BAE Systems Australia, said that a new strike module would contain 64 cells with vertical launch tubes that would add to the ship’s existing 32 VLS cells. The new strike cell would be positioned amidships in place of the multi-mission payload bay module containing uncrewed systems,
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Naval Warfare
-
![US Navy may look to foreign suppliers to accelerate shipbuilding programmes]()
US Navy may look to foreign suppliers to accelerate shipbuilding programmes
The US Navy (USN) is currently reassessing its acquisition efforts and seeking ways to reduce the multiple delays across the shipbuilding initiatives.
-
![Australia commissions HMAS Arafura three-and-a-half years behind schedule]()
Australia commissions HMAS Arafura three-and-a-half years behind schedule
The Royal Australian Navy has finally commissioned the first Arafura-class offshore patrol vessel – more than three years behind schedule – highlighting the programme’s delays, design compromises and ongoing industrial restructuring.
-
![Italy orders two ships as work begins on others along with deliveries and updates]()
Italy orders two ships as work begins on others along with deliveries and updates
The Italian Navy is being refreshed with two new ships ordered, while in the past six months steel was cut for a new frigate, an enhanced frigate was delivered and Horizon-class frigates passed a design review.
