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Australia In development BAE Systems Australia
Hunter-class
Australia's future anti-submarine warfare frigate, a locally built derivative of the UK Type 26 design fitted with the Australian CEAFAR2 radar and Aegis combat system. Nine ships are planned to replace the Anzac-class frigates from the early 2030s.
In service since 2031 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
8,800
t
27
kn
7,000
nmi
32
VLS
180
crew
Pricing: Program cost estimated at over AUD 45 billion for 9 ships
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to Australia export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2031. Status: announced.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 127 mm Mk 45 naval gun
- VLS cells
Vertical-launch missile cells on a warship — a proxy for magazine depth. Higher means more missiles before rearming.
- 32 Stronger than 50% of warships
- Torpedo tubes
Number of torpedo tubes (submarines and some surface ships).
- 6 Stronger than 69% of warships
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 149.9 m
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- CEAFAR2 AESA
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 0 Bottom 4% of warships
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 45% of warships
Specifications compiled from public BAE Systems Australia and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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Fincantieri Bergamini class (FREMM) Frequently asked questions
What is the main armament of the BAE Systems Australia Hunter-class? +
The BAE Systems Australia Hunter-class's primary weapon is the 127 mm Mk 45 naval gun.
What is the BAE Systems Australia Hunter-class used for? +
The BAE Systems Australia Hunter-class is a warship typically used for anti ship, air defense.
How many countries operate the BAE Systems Australia Hunter-class? +
The BAE Systems Australia Hunter-class is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the BAE Systems Australia Hunter-class cost? +
BAE Systems Australia Hunter-class: Program cost estimated at over AUD 45 billion for 9 ships. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
