Australian companies to build Hunter-class frigate prototyping blocks.

Australian companies that supply equipment and services, from scaffolding and pipes to deck coverings and insulation, are now to secure $US 20 million worth contracts through the Hunter-class Frigate Programme.

An artist rendering of the future Hunter-class frigates of the Royal Australian Navy (Picture Source: BAE Systems)

More than 150 companies from around Australia will converge in Adelaide for a procurement update that launches the process to bid for work during the Hunter programme’s prototyping phase, which begins next year.

During the programme’s prototyping phase, scheduled to begin in December 2020, five prototyping blocks will be built at the Osborne Naval Shipyard, in South Australia.

During this phase, Australian businesses that supply minor equipment, materials and services can bid for an estimated $US 20 million in contracts across two specific supplier categories. In one of those categories, known as 'category D', the Hunter programme is committed to achieving 100 per cent Australian suppliers.

Managing director of ASC Shipbuilding Craig Lockhart said: "The Hunter programme is committed to maximising opportunities for Australian suppliers through supply contracts and initiatives to nurture and grow small-to-medium sized businesses."

The prototyping phase is a crucial stage in the programme where all the processes, systems, tools, facilities and workforce competencies will be tested and refined before construction on the first frigate commences in 2022.

"By maximising opportunities for local suppliers through contracts for supply and initiatives to nurture and grow small-to-medium sized businesses, we are raising the Australian defence industry’s ability to compete for and win domestic and international maritime work," Lockhart added.

The nine Hunter-class frigates will be based on the BAE Systems Type 26 Global Combat Ship currently under construction for the Royal Navy and will replace the eight Anzac-class frigates when they enter service beginning in the late 2020s.

The Hunter-class is billed as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) centric vessel delivering an advanced ASW capability to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) at a time when 50 per cent of the world’s submarines will be operating in the Indo-Pacific region.

BAE Systems Australia announced that it had selected Lockheed Martin Australia and Saab Australia as combat systems integration industry partners, responsible for delivering the Australian designed CEAFAR 2 Active Phased Array Radar, Lockheed Martin designed Aegis combat management system and Saab Australia 9LV tactical interface.

The $US 35 billion programme sees ASC Shipbuilding become a subsidiary of BAE Systems throughout the build process beginning in 2020 at the Osborne Shipyard in South Australia, creating more than 4,000 jobs.