Australia is seeing an urgent need to augment the Strike capability of their Navy. This is reflected in a requirement for light frigate/corvette sized combatants with strong anti-surface (ASuW) and self-defense as well as ASW capability.
The resulting ships are about the size of the latest large US Coast Guard patrol cutters, the 4,600 ton Bertholf class National Security Cutter (NSC) and the 4,500 ton Argus class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC), in fact two are smaller. While this may not be an exhaustive list of potential competitors, all three proposals I have seen, are discussed in the video above and outlined below. Each includes 16 to 32 vertical launch system (VLS) cells for a variety of missile types and 16 to 24 deck launchers for Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles (ASCM, presumably Naval Strike Missiles). (As these designs are about a decade newer than the OPC, the winning design might form the basis for a future cutter class.)
Navatia’s offer, the Tasman class corvette, is the same length as the Argus class Offshore Patrol Cutters (110 meters / 360′), but considerably lighter at 3,600 tons full load (vs 4500 tons). This class is to be based on a class built for Saudi Arabia, which is in turned based on a class of Offshore Patrol Vessels built for Venezuela. The proposal includes 16 VLS and 16 ASCM launch tubes. Presumably they will be diesel powered with a speed about the same as the parent designs, 25 knots.
Clik here to view.
The Australian Light Frigate (foreground) and Constellation class (background) on the Gibbs and Cox stand during Indo Pacific 2023.
Gibbs and Cox proposal (pictured above), at 117 meters in length and 3,800 tons, this design is also smaller than the OPC by 700 tons. It takes the novel approach of deleting the usual main gun entirely in favor of 32 VLS and 24 ASCM launch tubes. CIWS would be provided by Phalanx or SeaRAM and close-in anti-surface and “shot across the bow” signaling would be provided by Mk38 gun mount or equivalent. (This may be taking the trend to smaller main guns to its logical conclusion.) Speed will be at least 30 knots using CODELAG GE LM2500+ propulsion.
TKMS offers MEKO A210 Frigate. This is a bit larger, at 4700 tons, 200 tons larger than the OPC and 100 tons larger than the National Security Cutter. The proposal includes 32 VLS and 16 ASCM. It is powered, like the earlier A200 frigates, by two diesels each driving conventional propellers and a gas turbine driving a central water jet, a system TKMS calls CODAG-WARP (WAter jet and Refined Propellers). Speed is likely 28-29 knots.
