Speaking at the Defence Leaders Combined Naval Event (CNE) 2024 in Farnborough, UK, on 23 May, Rear Admiral Stephen Hughes, Head of Navy Capability, said that acquisition of a ‘zero design change’ solution was the only way which to have an acquisition programme underway and on contract before the end of 2026, with a first ship delivery to follow in 2029.
This new approach marks a distinct break from the ‘Australianised’ military-off-the-shelf (MOTS) model traditionally used for surface combatant procurements. That approach has seen platforms designed overseas customised for RAN standards and requirements, including the integration of Australian-specific weapons, sensors and combat systems.
The Australian government in April 2024 confirmed plans to acquire 11 new Tier 2 ships as part of the force mix previously outlined in the Enhanced Lethality Surface Combat Fleet force design developed last year by an independent analysis of the RAN’s surface fleet. These new ships will operate independently and in conjunction with the Hobart class air warfare destroyers and Hunter class frigates to secure maritime trade routes and northern approaches and escort military assets.
The urgency attached to introducing the Tier 2 capability reflects the fragile material state of the RAN’s ageing Anzac class frigates, which has led the Commonwealth to abandon the Anzac class Transition Capability Assurance Program and cut the Anzac frigate force from eight to six ships by the end of 2026. To meet the pressing timescales for the introduction of the replacement general purpose frigates, the Canberra government has endorsed a hybrid ‘offshore then onshore’ build strategy, with the first three ships to be constructed overseas before transitioning to an Australian build.
Four platforms in the 3,000 – 4,000 tonne range have been identified as exemplars to form the basis of the Tier 2 selection process: the MEKO A-200 (thyssenkrupp Marine Systems); Mogami 30FFM (Mitsubishi); the Daegu-class FFX Batch II and Chungnam-class FFX Batch III (Hyundai Heavy Industries/Hanwha Ocean); and the ALFA 3000 (Navantia). “The government mandated that these exemplar designs from Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Spain would be the basis of the capability and the approach to both market and government at the end of the year around what is a viable and non-viable capability against the five programme objectives,” Rear Admiral Hughes told the CNE 2024 conference. “We’re going to build initially three offshore, and then we’ll build three [more] of the same baseline onshore. And then what happens for ships 7 through 11 is something for future decisions around where that design goes.”
The intention is to introduce the new general purpose frigate as quickly as possible to replace the remaining Anzac class frigates. What is different from previous practice, said Rear Admiral Hughes, is the focus on ‘speed-to-capability’ which will condition a fast track, low-risk procurement approach that moves away from the ‘Australianised’ MOTS model to one of zero design change.
“The government has already decided that the four exemplar designs meet our capability needs [so] I don’t need to develop requirements because government’s told me ‘if you pick one of those four, we’re happy with that’,”
Rear Admiral Hughes
Five objective criteria will be applied to determine which of the four designs is the most suitable option. These are (in priority order): to have manufacture underway in 2026 to deliver in 2029; transfer of the design for an onshore build in Australia; provide an effective maintenance and sustainment system that can be established in Australia; maximum compliance with regulatory, legislative and class standards; and interoperability with Australian and allied systems.
However, there is implicit understanding that there will be no design change. “We’re taking it out of the box,” said Rear Admiral Hughes. “The programme objectives will be the means by which we assess what is viable and non-viable. The discipline that the government has put on us is remarkable.”
Responding to questions from the CNE 2024 audience, Rear Admiral Hughes insisted that ‘zero-change’ was the right approach for the general purpose frigate acquisition, arguing that while there would be a high level of combat systems commonality in the Tier 1 forces, the Tier 2 requirement presented a new opportunity. “We’ve made the decision [that] we’re out of the [Anzac] business, so whatever we choose, whatever standard we go with, we’re going to adopt that. We’re going to have discipline around that capability.”
He continued: “There may be an opportunity where, in time, as we understand the design and we build the capability, we may choose to adjust and adapt depending on our strategic requirements. But what government is saying to us is ‘if it’s good enough for another navy, it’s good enough for our navy’. And for me…the only way I was going to get capability quickly was to say we’ve got to do a no-change programme.
“I think is this is an opportunity, not a risk. The risk is we don’t choose wisely, and we don’t understand the designs. We’ve made it very clear with the four exemplar design companies [that] they need to be totally transparent with us [so] we can choose wisely.”