Introduction of Australian frigates could be substantially delayed
The Hunter class will be an extremely capable warship, but few major Australian procurement projects start smoothly. (Photo: RAN)
While Australian defence officials have not made any official announcement, it seems the Hunter class is facing sizeable delays.
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is facing a significant delay before getting its hands on nine Hunter-class frigates being built by BAE Systems in Australia.
The Australian Financial Review reported on 6 July that the project is ‘poised to be pushed back for up to 18 months after the Morrison government agreed to delay the project because of issues with the design’.
The decision had apparently been made the previous week. Furthermore, the auditor-general appears set to launch an audit of the programme this year. In July 2020 the frigate project was added to the Projects of Interest list,
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