Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Australia Awards US$26bn Next-Gen Warship Deal to Britain’s BAE

Australia Awards US$26bn Next-Gen Warship Deal to Britain’s BAE

SYDNEY - Australia awarded a US$26-billion contract to build a new generation of warships to British defence giant BAE Systems on Friday, as the Pacific nation undertakes an ambitious naval programme in part to counter China.
The lucrative deal -- worth 22.4 billion euros or AUD$35 billion -- is a major boon for London-listed BAE, which has struggled in recent years with shrinking government defence budgets and slowing demand for the Eurofighter Typhoon jet. BAE’s Global Combat Ship, to be officially known as the Hunter class, beat off competition from Italian company Fincantieri and Spain’s Navantia SA and will be supplied to the Royal Australian Navy under the terms of a 30-year contract. The nine new frigates will be “the most advanced anti-submarine warships in the world” and underpin the country’s security for decades to come, said Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
“The Hunter class will provide the Australian Defence Force with the highest levels of lethality and deterrence our major surface combatants need in periods of global uncertainty,” he said.
“They will have the capability to conduct a variety of missions independently, or as part of a task group, with sufficient range and endurance to operate effectively throughout the region.” (AFP)