Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
HMAS Diamantina is one of the Royal Australian Navy’s remaining Huon-class minehunters. (Photo: POIS Daniel Goodman)
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.
Australia’s capacity to detect and neutralise sea mines has narrowed in recent years, following the cancellation of a modernisation programme and the approaching retirement of the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) last minehunters. The government has pledged to close the gap through autonomous systems, but the shape and timing of that transition remain undefined.
More than 99% of Australia’s international trade is carried by sea, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), with the nation’s ports handling over 1.6 billion tonnes of cargo and receiving more than 29,000 visits from international trading ships each year. That scale of dependence means
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