Up to $175 million will be spent developing a test site for Australia’s future warships at St Kilda
Australia’s future warships will test their combat systems at a new site north of the city - costing up to $175 million but boosting local business.
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A warship testing site at St Kilda will cost up to $175 million and will boost business in the local community.
Parts of the Hunter Class Frigates combat system will be tested there along with radars and other sensors.
Lockheed Martin’s Aegis Combat System will be a critical part of the frigates. LHM describe it as “the world’s most advanced combat system”.
It co-ordinates the frigates’ weapons to attack submarines and surface ships, and protect the fleet against missiles.
Whoever wins the contract is obliged to involve local industry, and Defence says local businesses will see an increase in spending.
Defence is briefing politicians and the local community on the project. The tender to put in offices, technical laboratories, equipment storage and other infrastructure is set at $125 million to $175 million.
It will be built at the St Kilda Transmitting Station, on the east side of Brooks Rd.
Defence says so far stakeholders have “fully supported the project”. In a submission to an inquiry on naval infrastructure, it said there was interest about opportunities for contractors and suppliers and questions about time frames and tendering. It also said the builders would have to adhere to a “Local Industry Participation Plan”, which “will outline the contractor’s objectives for local industry participation as well as the initiatives proposed to meet these objectives”.
BAE Systems Australia is building the fleet of nine frigates which will specialise in anti-submarine warfare, and confirmed its Australian shipbuilding arm, ASC Shipbuilding, was working “with the customer to establish the need and scope of a future land based test site that would support Combat System integration”.
Some locals raised concerns about the local environment, particularly the birdlife, but Defence said the facility was “sited outside of the high-value flora-scrub areas to mitigate the need to clear high-value habitat areas.”
One resident raised the prevalence of snakes, mosquitoes, feral cats and foxes.
