Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
Lockheed Martin has signed a contract with Navantia to equip the Spanish Navy’s five new F110 multi-mission frigates and a land-based test site with a naval installation of its solid state S-band radar.
The new F110 frigates will be built by Spain’s national shipbuilder, Navantia.
Known in US service as the AN/SPY-7(V)1, the radar is derived from current in-service radar programmes.
Lockheed Martin and Spanish company, Indra, will jointly provide the radar. It will go to sea as part of the Aegis Weapon System, which will be integrated with the ship’s combat management system, SCOMBA, when the first frigate deploys in 2026.
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
With Canada committed to its River-class replacement and the USN pursuing a lower-cost frigate, Rheinmetall will need to demonstrate where the GMF 140 can fill a capability gap in the North American fleet.
Australian businesses can now bid to support Virginia-class submarine sustainment in Western Australia, as momentum around the Henderson Defence Precinct also builds.
Washington’s search for a foreign-built frigate could hand South Korea, Japan and Turkey a larger prize than a double-hull order: a foothold inside the US shipbuilding industrial base.
Japan’s FY2027 defence budget backs stand-off strike, a 17-aircraft MQ-9B buy and a declared bid to lead the world in uncrewed maritime assets, alongside new frigates, submarines and support ships.