Anzac Frigates Sail Diverging Courses

1 November 1996

Valued at about A$5 billion (US$3.9 billion) overall, the 15-year ANZAC Ship Project to build 10 frigates - eight for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and an initial two for the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) - is the largest defence contract ever awarded in Australia.

HMAS Anzac of The Royal Australia Navy (photo : Maritimequest)

A joint government-to-government programme, it is intended to provide the RAN and RNZN with a variant of the Blohm +Voss MEKO 200 frigate specifically tailored to the regional operating requirements of the two services. The programme also aims to provide long-term economic benefits for Australian and New Zealand industries with 80 per cent (by value) local content. The ANZAC ships are being assembled at the Williamstown, Victoria, yard of Transfield Defence Systems, but more than 1,000 other Australian and New Zealand companies are involved in the project.

HMNZS Te Kaha of the Royal New Zealand Navy (photo : NZDF)

Lead ship HMAS Anzac was commissioned into the RAN in May this year. It will be followed by the RNZN's first-of-class, HMNZS Te Kaha, due to commission in May 1997. Both navies regard the ANZAC ships as vital to their future fleets - but for quite different reasons. When the ANZAC contract was awarded in 1989, the RAN envisaged the ship - procured under Project SEA 1348 - as a "Tier 2" light patrol frigate for low- to medium-intensity missions (the DDG-2 Perth class destroyers and FFG-7 Adelaide class frigates being classified as Tier 1 ships).

Today, looking to exploit the growth potential inherent in the platform and combat system, the RAN is considering a number of capability-enhancement options under the ANZAC War fighting Improvement Programme (WIP). The importance of the ANZAC Ship Project to the RNZN is some what different.

Sumber : Jane’s