A troubled frigate program has taken a major step forward as a milestone service marks good fortune for the $45 billion construction project.
However, the federal government still faced criticism on Monday over the warship's weight, amid concern it could compromise its performance.
The first Hunter-class frigate is due to be delivered in 2032, with the project scaled down from nine ships to six after falling years behind schedule and costing $15 billion more than anticipated.
A keel-laying ceremony was held for the first frigate in Adelaide on Monday following years of delays and cost blowouts.
The keel-laying marks the official start of a ship’s construction, when its main structural backbone is assembled in the shipyard.
In keeping with naval tradition, a coin was placed beneath the warship's keel to bestow good fortune throughout its construction and service.
"The laying of the keel for the first Hunter-class frigate demonstrates tangible progress in the delivery of a more capable, lethal and resilient surface combatant fleet for Australia,” Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles said.
The Hunter design is based on the British Type 26 frigate.
But it has been deliberately modified to integrate the US Aegis combat system and Australian‑made CEA radar, blowing its weight out to 10,500 tonnes compared to Type 26's 8000 tonnes.
Defence expert Marcus Hellyer of Strategic Analysis Australia told The Australian on Monday the warship was heavier but still using the same propulsion system.
He said it would be "impossible" for it to get the same range, endurance and speed out of the same propulsion system.
However, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy rejected criticism, saying the frigates were more capable than the baseline Type 26 because of the advanced sensors and systems they carried.
“We make no apologies for putting into this design the most advanced radar in the world, built in Canberra in Australia, which makes this ship very capable,” he said.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said the Hunter program marked the vanguard of a continuous naval shipbuilding enterprise that would also deliver SSN‑AUKUS nuclear‑powered submarines and drive a major uplift in economic complexity.
Delivered by BAE Systems Maritime Australia, the program is directly supporting more than 2500 highly skilled jobs, with another 5000 flowing through the national supply chain.
At its peak, the government expects the Hunter build to sustain about 3000 direct and 5000 indirect jobs, underpinning a sovereign industrial base able to support future warships.
