Defence will receive a further $19.87 billion to support the Hunter-class frigate program. The funding will be used to support the construction of the first three ships and establish a support and training system that will benefit the whole fleet of six.
Defence first disclosed approval of the additional funding in response to written questions posed by members of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee in June.
The $19.87 billion is in addition to the roughly $18.35 billion spent to date through design, productionisation and into the build phase. In June, Defence signed an $11.1 billion contract with ASC Shipbuilding to build the three Batch One frigates, following the completion of the $7.25 billion design and productionisation phase.
ADM asked Defence how much of the additional $19.87 billion will benefit the entire fleet compared to just the Batch One build, however they declined to comment specifically.
“As outlined in the 2024 Integrated Investment Program, $22-32 billion has been allocated to the Hunter Class frigate program over the decade to 2033-34,” a Defence spokesperson told ADM.
“Government approved $19.87 billion to support the construction of the first three ships, as well as other items to support the future fleet of six ships. Support items include infrastructure and lease costs for the Osborne Naval Shipyard, combat systems, spares, training and tools, as well as non-recurring costs associated with establishing the domestic and international supply chain.”
ADM understands that “commercial concerns” have driven Defence’s decision not to comment on the price breakdown.
Without a breakdown of how much of the $19.87 billion will be spent on the Batch One versus the Batch Two ships, it’s impossible to arrive at an exact per-hull cost for Batch One.
Nevertheless, as at least some of the $19.87 billion is allocated to the Batch One ships the cost of those ships will exceed the $11.1 billion awarded to ASC Shipbuilding in June, seemingly putting the per-ship hull cost at more than $3.7 billion.