$45bn Adelaide frigates program tipped to be reduced from nine ships to six in major revamp of Royal Australian Navy

Six Hunter-class frigates are likely to be built in Adelaide instead of nine, and the navy will be bolstered by a new fleet of small warships, according to reports.

Six Hunter-class frigates are likely to be built in Adelaide instead of nine, but the federal government will commit to continuous naval shipbuilding in both South Australia and Western Australia, The Australian is reporting today.

The Albanese government is expected to unveil plans for a new fleet of at least eight small warships, most likely corvettes or light patrol frigates, to boost the navy’s firepower from the current fleet of 11 surface warships.

Some of those new ships are expected to be purchased from overseas, with the remainder likely to built in WA.

Federal Labor has been criticised for under-funding defence, which is likely to force it to approve an increase in defence spending in the May budget that would fund the enhanced surface fleet and AUKUS nuclear submarines.

As part of the restructure, Adelaide will retain the $45bn Hunter-class frigate program, but with only six of the anti-submarine ships to be ordered.

Opposition leader David Speirs said South Australia could not afford to settle for anything less than the promised nine frigates.

“Any deviation from the commitment of nine frigates being built in South Australia is a massive failure by Labor – and by Peter Malinauskas for not fighting hard enough to secure local defence jobs,” Mr Speirs said.

“Labor’s left South Australia in limbo with this review for far too long now – with billions of dollars of investment and thousands of jobs on the line.

Asked last week if anything less than nine Hunter Class frigates would be a failure, Premier Peter Malinauskas said: “I don’t want nine (ships). I don’t want 12 or 15. What I want is a continuous ship build in South Australia forevermore. That’s the promise this (federal) government has made.”

The program is not expected to deliver its first ship until 2032.

News of a reduction to the program comes after a key industry figure told The Advertiser cutting frigate construction from nine ships to six would create another costly workforce “valley of death” and needlessly trim navy’s surface fleet.

Australian Industry & Defence Network chief executive officer Brent Clark said six Hunter Class frigates would not meet the federal government’s promise of a continuous naval shipbuilding program in Adelaide.

Evolved Hunter Class design for guided missile frigate. Supplied by BAE Systems Australia

Australian Strategic Policy Institute director Michael Shoebridge told The Australian it was critical the government provided extra funding in its response to the surface fleet review, and a clear timetable on the arrival of ships.

He said it would be better if the Hunter program was dumped altogether and warned of capability gaps in waiting for the new ships, given the fragile condition of the ageing Anzac-class frigates.

“A central thing I expect is they’re going to retain the $45bn Hunter frigate program and not get any ship from that enormous and slow program until 2033,” he said.

“If they cut the numbers from nine to six, the cost per ship goes up and we still don’t get anything into the navy fleet for a decade.

“So the path of least resistance is what I expect them to take on the Hunter. I would be delighted to be surprised and hear that they had cancelled the program.”

He said he expected the government to announce a “process” to acquire another fleet of ships to help with the limited capacity of the Anzac-class frigates.