Fifteen months ago, we cut steel for the Royal Australian Navy’s first Hunter class frigate at Osborne Naval Shipyard. Since then, the pace and scale of progress has been remarkable.
We’ve just reached a major milestone. In just 15 months since cutting steel on Ship 1, more than half of the Hunter class frigate’s 78 units and 22 blocks are now in production — with one block already through final blast and paint.
Fabrication has ramped up steadily, with a new unit starting every couple of weeks, and that pace will accelerate to one every ten days at peak production.
This rhythm, and the flexibility our teams have shown in achieving it, demonstrates the strength of our build method, which was refined through the prototyping phase of the program.
A recent example of that adaptability was the installation of the Port Fin Stabilizer, the first Category A major component, which was fitted in less than 24 hours.
We are now applying the lessons learned and refining our methods before the starboard stabilizer installation. That willingness to pause, assess and improve is part of what makes our workforce exceptional.
Having this flexible approach across the yard demonstrates the value of collaboration amongst our teams to enhance the pace of production and continuously improve our practices.
The Hunter Class Frigate Program is a truly national endeavor. At our Henderson site in Western Australia, fabrication of additional units and the Proof of Concept Mast continues to progress well, complementing the work underway at Osborne.
Meanwhile, across the country, our Australian supply chain continues to strengthen. So far, we’ve placed more than 80 contracts with local companies, and around 140 supplier contracts are currently active.
One of the latest was with Hobart-based Liferaft Systems Australia (LSA), which will supply its world-leading Marine Evacuation Systems (MES) for the first three Hunter ships. The Tasmanian-based business supplies MES for the Royal Navy’s eight Type 26 frigates in the UK.
This means the Hunter Class Frigate Program can leverage existing testing and certification reports to ensure consistent performance—delivering both time and cost efficiencies across the program.
That figure isn’t just about dollars. It represents jobs, skills, and the transfer of expertise that will sustain the nation’s shipbuilding capability for decades. It’s important to remember that the Hunter program was never just about building ships, it was and is about building a sovereign capability.
The government’s investment in the program includes the infrastructure, systems, training and workforce development needed to deliver a continuous naval shipbuilding enterprise.
It will extend beyond the Hunter program to future classes of ships, helping to avoid the ‘valley of death’ scenarios of the past, when Australia’s shipbuilding activity stopped after completing a fleet, lost the workforce and shipbuilding capability, and then had to rebuild from scratch.
The program is also laying the foundation for through-life support, with digital technologies like the Hunter’s digital twin enabling a single, evolving source of truth for each vessel throughout its entire service life.
This means smarter maintenance, upgrades and operations, and a sustained capability that endures well beyond construction.
In large-scale defense programs, challenges are inevitable. What matters most is how we respond — with collaboration, innovation and resilience.
We’ve maintained focus on meeting our contractual milestones, and I’m proud to say we’ve delivered every key milestone since November 2021.
Our commitment remains clear: to deliver the first Hunter class frigate to the Royal Australian Navy on schedule in 2032, with rollout to the hardstand in 2028.