General purpose frigate milestone reached with down-selection of shipbuilders

The Albanese Government has down-selected two shipbuilders, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, to progress designs for Australia’s future general purpose frigates.

The general purpose frigate program is part of the Albanese Government’s plan to ensure the Navy is equipped with a larger and more lethal surface combatant fleet to respond to our strategic circumstances. 

In May, Defence released an approach to market to five shipbuilders of the exemplar platforms identified by the Independent Analysis of Navy’s surface combatant fleet. 

Defence will now work with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and Australian industry partners to further develop the proposals for the Mogami and MEKO A-200 frigates. 

The Government acknowledges the high-quality proposals put forward by each of the five exemplar shipbuilders. The proposals reflect the sophistication and maturity of the companies involved and the defence industries of Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Spain.

The Albanese Government is investing up to $55 billion over the decade, including up to $10 billion for the general purpose frigates, as part of a plan that will more than double the size of Navy’s surface combatant fleet compared with the former government’s plan.

Australia’s new general purpose frigates will replace the Anzac Class frigates and will be equipped for undersea warfare and local air defence in order to secure maritime trade routes and our northern approaches.

The first three general purpose frigates will be built offshore and, successful and timely consolidation of the Henderson precinct will enable the remainder of the build to be constructed locally at Henderson.

The construction of general purpose frigates at the Henderson Defence Precinct is part of the Albanese Government’s plan to invest tens of billions of dollars in defence capabilities in Western Australia over the next two decades, supporting in the order of 10,000 well-paid, high-skilled local jobs.

Defence will engage closely with the down-selected shipbuilders to progress this program and ensure Australia’s first general purpose frigate is delivered this decade. 

The decision to progress the Mogami and MEKO A-200 designs was informed by a rigorous evaluation by Defence that identified these designs as likely to best meet Australia’s capability requirements.

Quotes attributable to Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Richard Marles MP:

“The Albanese Government is committed to ensuring our Navy is equipped with a larger and more lethal surface combatant fleet, and the general purpose frigate program is a key aspect of this. 

“Navy’s future fleet will constitute the largest number of surface combatants since World War Two, and will be integral to ensuring the safety and security of our sea lines of communication and maritime trade.

“We extend our gratitude to Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Spain for their efforts in support of this activity. We view their commitment to this process as a reflection of the strong relationships between our nations.

“We acknowledge the extraordinary achievement of each of these companies in manufacturing platforms recognised by the Independent Analysis Team as the best of their kind.” 

Quotes attributable to Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, the Hon Pat Conroy MP:

“This program is moving at pace to ensure the Navy is equipped with the ships it needs to keep Australians safe.

“The rapid, accelerated work of the general purpose frigate program to date underpins the next stages of the acquisition to ensure this capability is delivered this decade, providing our Navy with enhanced anti-submarine and anti-air warfare capabilities."

Please see related video/graphics: http://images.defence.gov.au/S20243695