Australia is sinking 35 billion Australian dollars ($28.84 billion U.S.) into the purchase of nine ultra-modern frigates. So what is it that makes them so necessary, and what will be their place in the battlefields of the future? The BAE Systems Type 26 Global Combat Ships, on which the new Australian frigate are based, are an unproven force. The first British-owned example of this surface warship is yet to take to the water. The design will form the basis of Australia’s next generation anti-submarine frigate, dubbed the Hunter class. The outlay is enormous, so the Royal Australian Navy will want to get as much bang for its buck as possible. So what are the capabilities of these ships, and will they be able to respond to the rapid pace of strategic and technological change? China is already regarded as the world leader in next-generation hypervelocity missiles. These are so fast they can appear and destroy their target in the blink of an eye — far quicker than any human reaction can counter. Beijing is also on the brink of putting railguns on warships with the capability of firing guided hypersonic shells immense distances. Will Australia’s new Type 26 frigates be up to such a challenge?
