Page 81 - Australian Defence Magazine May 2022

MAY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
SEAPOWER FRIGATES 81
ABOVE: Two of the three prototype units built at Osborne have already been vertically consolidated
LEFT: The Hunter- class program has recently successfully completed a year-long System Definition Review
completed manufacture of the first three prototyping activ- ity units at the new shipyard in Osborne – the first two of which are built to UK Type 26 design (the reference ship), while the third is a representative unit. The prototyping activity is to validate the company’s labour force as well as its production procedures and the Osborne shipyard itself.
“We’re now in the second phase of prototyping: two of the three units have already been vertically consolidated and the last two units were signed off by Lloyd’s Register as being 100 per cent compliant against shipyard require- ments – that’s things like people processes, welding quali- ty, structural alignment, dimensional control and materials specification,” Lockhart added. “We have another six units all in process manufacture, moving quickly to consolida- tion of the first block around August or September.”
Under the revised schedule, steel for the first Hunter-class ship is expected to be cut in 2024 but in the meantime, Lock- hart says the focus is currently on moving the design into the PDR process. “By the middle of the year we expect to have suc- cessfully cut over the bulk of the platform and ship systems from the UK design environment and reference ship design,” he said.
“Zone 5 has already transferred and we’re ready to trans- fer Zones 1, 6 and 3, but we’re holding off as late as we possibly can to allow the UK to push most of that change
through as HMS Glasgow (the first Type 26) moves from whole ship consolidation to in-water outfitting and systems integration and test.”
ENGINEERING TEAM ASSESSMENT
The leaked Engineering Team Assessment report listed a number of concerns with the changes made to adapt the Hunter design from the Type 26 reference ship, notably in terms of hull redesign and subsequent weight gain; as well as space, weight, power and cooling margins.
While the report was not leaked to ADM, it is understood to have been an engineering change risk assessment activ- ity commissioned by the project office to perhaps inform the SDR process – however the reason for its distribution outside Defence is not clear.
The SDR process took the report’s concerns into con- sideration and the full displacement weight of the Hunter- class ships will now be around 10,000 tons, as opposed 8,800 tons of the UK Type 26 – a fact confirmed by CASG’s First Assistant Secretary Ships Sheryl Lutz at a Senate Es- timates hearing on 2 June.
Either way, the response to mainstream media reporting was swift, with Defence Minister Peter Dutton releasing a statement shortly after the original story appeared in print, saying the problems identified by the Engineering Team Assessment had been identified and addressed.
“Late last year we looked at this project in great detail and we decided we will proceed with it. The relationship with the UK is incredibly important,” Minister Dutton said.
Defence also released a statement in response to the me- dia reports, saying the report was an internal management tool to assist the management of the design process and was a ‘snapshot’ of a certain point in time.
“Actions and solutions that address these risks are well underway and form part of the structured design process that will deliver a mature design that meets our require- ments in time to start construction of the first ship around mid-2024,” a Defence spokesperson said.
BAE SYSTEMS
BAE SYSTEMS