Royal Australian Navy air warfare destroyer HMAS Hobart has become the first ship in its class to fire a missile in Australian waters.
This is not Hobart’s first missile launch, however, as the ship previously tested its Mk41 vertical launch system during weapons and systems trials off the US east coast in 2018.
Hobart fired an SM-2 Standard Missile in the East Australian Exercise Area against an unmanned target during trials off the coast of New South Wales.
The firing provided an opportunity to prove recent upgrades to the ship’s Aegis combat system and prepare the ship’s company for their upcoming task group deployment.
Commanding Officer, Commander Ryan Gaskin, said the successful firing was a significant step in progressing Navy’s high-end warfighting capability.
“HMAS Hobart is the most sophisticated and lethal warship ever operated by the Royal Australian Navy and this missile firing is a demonstration of how she can fight and win at sea,” Commander Gaskin said.
“Our advanced sensors provide a real-time recognised maritime picture of the tactical situation combined with state-of-the-art weapon systems, giving us a formidable area air defense capability.”
HMAS Hobart’s weapons systems include, a Mk41 VLS containing SM-2 Standard Missile and Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles, a Mk45 5-inch main gun, Phalanx close-in weapons system, two 25mm Typhoon guns, and MU90 and Mk54 light-weight torpedoes for subsurface defense.
As the first of three ships in the class, HMAS Hobart is based at Garden Island in Sydney and will deploy for the first time next month as the lead ship in a task group deployment.