HMAS Parramatta to undock next week

Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac-class frigate HMAS Parramatta (FFH 154) is to be undocked next week in Henderson, Western Australia, BAE Systems announced.

Parramatta is the sixth Anzac-class frigate to undergo the anti-ship missile defense upgrade initiated by the Australian government in 2007. In total, eight frigates are planned to be upgraded.

Saab Australia and BAE Systems are the main contractors responsible for upgrading the frigates. HMAS Perth was the first frigate to complete the upgrade in 2011.

HMAS Parramatta has been undergoing a range of modifications at the BAE Systems shipyard in Henderson, Australia over the past 12 months. Apart from the addition of a ‘cupola’ mast to house the CEA Phased Array Radar, and a coat of the new Royal Australian Navy ‘haze grey’ paint, the ship has undergone engineering changes and maintenance tasks delivered by BAE Systems, Saab Australia and Naval Ship Management.

The new masts, built on the base of the original masts with new upper structures, cables, services, and paint scheme, were lifted into place in November 2015; the highest mast being a full seven decks above the main upper deck.

In January 2016, BAE Systems said it clocked in 2 million hours in the Anzac program during work on the sixth (HMAS Parramatta) and seventh (HMAS Toowoomba) ships.