The announcement was made as NUSHIP Brisbane (with pennant number 41) arrived for the first time at its home base of Fleet Base East – at Sydney’s Garden Island – on 10 September.
The move comes after the 146.7 m-long ship, which began builder’s sea trials in November 2017, was officially handed over to the RAN on 27 July.
Australia’s first AWD, HMAS Hobart , was accepted and commissioned into service in 2017, while the third ship, Sydney , was launched at Osborne in May and is set to be handed over to the RAN in December 2019 following sea trials.
The RAN’s Adelaide-class (US Oliver Hazard Perry design) frigates, of which only two remain in service, are being retired to make way for the Hobart-class AWDs, which provide the service with an improved warfighting capability.
Based on Navantia’s F-100 Alvaro de Bazan-class frigate design (with a number of Australian-specific modifications), the Hobart class deploys the Aegis combat system incorporating the AN/SPY 1D(V) phased array radar.
(Jane's)