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Last Australian Navy ANZAC-class Frigate Receives Anti-Ship Missile Defence Upgrade

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Naval Forces News - Australia
 
 
 
Last Australian Navy ANZAC-class Frigate Receives Anti-Ship Missile Defence Upgrade
 
The last Royal Australian Navy Anzac class frigate to receive anti-ship missile defence upgrades is back in the water, with HMAS Stuart undocking at the Henderson shipyard in Western Australia. She will now commence trials of her state-of-the-art systems and modifications.
     
Last Australian Navy ANZAC-class Frigate Receives Anti-Ship Missile Defence UpgradeHMAS Stuart during undocking at BAE Henderson Dockyard after completing the Anti-ship Missile Defence Upgrade. RAN picture by LSIS Lee-Anne Cooper.
     
Commander Surface Forces Commodore Christopher Smith said the overhaul had enabled the helicopter frigates to continue to protect Australia and its interests. “The entire Anzac class is now one of the most capable frigate forces in the world and is tangible evidence of Navy’s progress towards deploying highly capable task groups,” Commodore Smith.

The upgrade includes the installation of an improved combat system and the Australian designed CEAFAR Active Phased Array Radar suite.

Platform modifications mean the frigate is also able to embark an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, Navy’s submarine hunter.

Stuart will undergo several months of harbour acceptance trials to test the upgraded systems while ship’s company reconstitutes the platform.

Commanding Officer Stuart, Commander Chris Leece, said his crew were looking forward to getting back to sea. “This marks the moment where we can now begin to reclaim our ship and prepare for the challenging year ahead,” Commander Leece said.

HMA Ships Perth, Arunta, Anzac, Warramunga, Ballarat, Parramatta, and Toowoomba have all cycled through the program with crews transferring between ingoing and outgoing platforms. Toowoomba recently completed harbour acceptance trials and is at sea undergoing a mariner skills evaluation and sea acceptance trials. Stuart is expected to complete the upgrade process by late 2017, representing full delivery of the project to Navy. The program has been the result of strong collaboration between Defence and insustry, managed by the Anzac System Program Office - Warship Asset Management Agreement, with an alliance involving the Commonwealth, BAE Systems, NSM and Saab.

BAE Systems, as part of the ANZAC Alliance, is leading the installation and integration of a new anti-ship missile defence system across all eight ANZAC frigates. The scope of the project includes ship integration of the new leading edge CEA Phased Array Radar (PAR), the Vampir NG Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system, the Sharpeye Navigation Radar System (NRS) and an upgraded SAAB Combat management system (CMS) including an improved operations room layout. Benefit to customer: Provides the Royal Australian Navy with an improved Anti-Ship Missile Defence capability to meet new threats and expand the frigates’ operational roles.