BAE Systems Australia has welcomed the Royal Australian Navy’s third Anzac class warship to its Henderson facility.
As explained, this is part of the navy’s fleet upgrade to keep the ships in service until they are replaced by the Hunter class frigates .
The Mid Life Capability Assurance Program (AMCAP) upgrade is being undertaken at Henderson by the Warship Asset Management Agreement (WAMA) Alliance.
HMAS Anzac ’s docking marks a milestone for BAE Systems, where it joins sister ships Perth and Arunta. This will be the first time that three warships have been on the hardstand at the Henderson facility.
HMAS Arunta, the first of class AMCAP ship, most recently had her old mast removed to make way for the installation of a newly developed Air Search Radar System. The new mast is currently being manufactured by BAE Systems and scheduled to be installed at the end of October.
HMAS Arunta will undock before the end of the year after having spent more than 12 months on the hard stand. She will then undertake sea trials ahead of a planned return to service in 2019.
The remaining seven ships will be back in service by 2023.