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Shipbuilders competing for the Royal Australian Navy’s new $10 billion frigate project have allegedly been given only three weeks to outline their opening pitch.
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Five international shipbuilders were reportedly sent an “approach to market”, requesting information for the RAN’s general purpose frigate on Friday, 24 May, according to information obtained by The Australian Financial Review on 27 May.
Information reportedly requested includes a build timeline, where they would be built, and cost guidelines for the first three ships to be built overseas.
Shipbuilders were previously advised of the upcoming work earlier this year when the federal government announced the intended acquisition of 11 new general purpose frigates to complement the country’s combat-ready fleet of warships.
The 11 new general purpose frigates will provide maritime and land strike, air defence and escort capabilities, according to information released by the government in a statement on 20 February. The new general purpose frigates will be accelerated to replace the Anzac Class frigates commissioned in the 1990s and early 2000s, with planned transition capability assurance upgrades no longer required.
The new general purpose frigates will be modern, capable and more lethal, requiring smaller crews than the Anzac Class (177 crew members). Eight new general purpose frigates are planned to be built at the Henderson precinct in Western Australia. The first general purpose frigates are expected to enter service with the Royal Australian Navy by the end of the decade, according to previous public statements from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles.
“The enhanced lethality surface combatant fleet will ensure the Navy is optimised for operations in our current and future environment, underpinned by the meticulous assessment conducted by the independent analysis team,” he said earlier this year.
Minister Marles said the first three vessels will be built offshore in the interest of speedy acquisition. Four potential designs are up for evaluation from Spain, Germany, South Korea, and Japan; the design decision will be made next year, he said.
The new general purpose frigates will be approximately the same size to 50 per cent bigger than the Anzac Class, with twice as many missiles, Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said.
The four platforms identified by the independent analysis as exemplars to form the basis of a selection process for this new general purpose frigate include Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems’ Meko A-200 frigate, the Mogami 30FFM Japanese multi-mission stealth frigate, the South Korean Daegu Class FFX Batch II and III, or Navantia’s ALFA3000 (Tasman Class Corvette, announced at IndoPac 2023).
