HMAS Hunter

HMAS Hunter (FFG) is the lead ship of the Hunter-class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy.

Type 26 frigate
History
Australia
NameHunter
NamesakeJohn Hunter
Ordered30 June 2018
BuilderBAE Systems Australia, Osborne
CostAU$3.9 billion
Laid downExpected, 2023
CommissionedExpected, 2031
IdentificationPennant number:
StatusOrdered
General characteristics
TypeHunter-class frigate
Displacement8,800 t (8,700 long tons; 9,700 short tons) full load displacement
Length149.9 m (492 ft)
Beam20.8 m (68 ft)[1]
Propulsion
  • CODLOG configuration
    • 1 × Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine
    • 4 × MTU Type 20V 4000 M53B high-speed diesel generators
    • 2 × electric motors
Speed27+ knots
Range7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) in electric motor drive[2]
Complement180 personnel, with accommodation for 208
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys		Nulka decoy launchers
Armament
Aircraft carried
Aviation facilities
Notes
  • Flexible Mission Bay:
    • Rolls-Royce Mission Bay Handling System
    • 2nd helicopter (MH-60R or MRH-90)
    • 4 x 11m RHIB
    • 10 x 20 foot containers
    • UAVs and UUVs[5]

Development and design
Main article: Hunter-class frigate

The Hunter-class frigate is a future class of frigates for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to replace the Anzac-class. Construction is expected to begin in 2020, with the first of nine vessels to enter service in the late 2020s.[6] The Program is expected to cost AU$35 billion and a request for tender was released in March 2017 to three contenders: Navantia, Fincantieri, and BAE Systems as part of a competitive evaluation process.[7]

The Hunter-class frigate will be an Australian variation of the Type 26 class frigate that is to be operated by the Royal Navy from the mid-2020s. The class will have a 8,800-tonne (8,700-long-ton; 9,700-short-ton) full load displacement and will be approximately 150 metres (490 ft) in length. The vessel will be capable of sailing in excess of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) and will have a full complement of 180 crew.[8][2]

Construction and career

Hunter was ordered on 30 June 2018 and named after Vice Admiral John Hunter. She will be built by BAE Systems Australia in Osborne.[9] First steel was cut on prototype blocks in December 2021. This is to be followed in 2023 with first steel being cut on blocks that will actually be used in ships of the class.[10] The ship is expected to be laid down in 2023 or later and commissioned in 2031.[11]

References
  1. "Hunter Class FFG". www.navy.gov.au. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  2. "Hunter Class FFG". Royal Australian Navy. n.d. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  3. "Joint Media Release - Prime Minister, Minister for Defence and Minister for Defence Industry - New Approach to Naval Combat Systems". Department of Defence. Department of Defence. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  4. Kerr, Julian (17 May 2017). "Anti-submarine future frigates to be armed with SM-2 missiles to blunt far-distant attacks". The Australian. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  5. Kerr, Julian (5 March 2019). "The Type 26 frigate mission bay. Part 2 – configuration and contents". Save the Royal Navy. Retrieved 2018-06-01.
  6. 2016 Defence White Paper (PDF). p. 93.
  7. Pyne, Christopher (2017-03-31). "$35 billion Future Frigate Tender". www.minister.defence.gov.au. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  8. Wroe, David (28 June 2018). "British frigate program to seed Australia's own warship industry, Turnbull says". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  9. Kuper, Stephen (2018-06-28). "Here comes the Hunter: BAE awarded $35bn SEA 5000 Future Frigate contract". www.defenceconnect.com.au. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  10. https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/first-hunter-frigate-block-emerges-after-45000-work-hours
  11. "Australia's Hunter-class frigates are coming, but maybe not soon enough". The Strategist. 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
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