수상전투함 호주, 수상함 전력확충 계획 발표

[위종민]

호주가 수상함 전력확충 계획을 발표했습니다. 향후 10년간 111억 호주달러(72억 달러)를 투자해 수상함대 수량을 두 배로 늘린다고 합니다. 

호바트급 3척 외에 헌터급 호위함 조달 수량을 9척에서 6척으로 줄이고, 해상/육상타격, 방공 및 호위용의 범용호위함 11척, 장거리 타격능력 향상을 위한 신형 수상함(LOSV; Large Optionally Crewed Surface Vessels) 6척을 조달할 예정입니다. LOSV는 VLS 32셀을 장착한 배라고 하네요. 

그 외 OPV 6척을 포함해 자국방어용 2선급 수상함 25척을 배치할 예정입니다. 

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/australia-to-expand-surface-combatant-fleet/

Australia to expand surface combatant fleet

Australia to expand surface combatant fleet

20 FEBRUARY 2024

by Jon Grevatt & Andrew MacDonald

An artist's impression of the future Hunter-class frigate for the Royal Australian Navy. Canberra has announced plans to reduce its procurement of nine of the type to six. (Commonwealth of Australia)

The Australian government has announced a major expansion of the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) surface combatant fleet. Under plans announced on 20 February in response to an independent review of RAN surface combatant capability, Defence Minister Richard Marles said the RAN will more than double the size of its warship fleet to meet future strategic challenges.

According to the Australian Department of Defence (DoD), the RAN's future surface combatant fleet will comprise 26 major warships including nine ‘Tier 1' surface combatants – three existing Hobart-class air warfare destroyers with upgraded air-defence and strike capabilities, and six (instead of nine planned) Hunter-class frigates to be built by BAE Systems.

The plans also include the procurement of 17 ‘Tier 2' surface combatants. These comprise up to 11 general-purpose frigates that will provide “maritime and land strike, air-defence and escort capabilities” and six new Large Optionally Crewed Surface Vessels (LOSVs) with 32 vertical launching system cells that will “significantly increase [the RAN's] long-range strike capacity”, the DoD said.

Aussie Navy to double surface fleet with $7B plan, but future funding uncertain

Under the new plan, the Australian surface fleet will grow to 26 ships over the next decade.

By   COLIN CLARKon February 20, 2024 at 7:40 AM

Concept art of the forthcoming Hunter-class frigate. (Australian National Audit Office)

SINGAPORE — Facing years with an aging and shrinking surface fleet, the Labor government of Anthony Albanese today announced its intention to spend $11.1 billion AUD ($7.2 billion US) over the next decade to “double” the size of its fleet and increase its lethality.

However, the decade-long timeline and early skepticism from the political opposition means the plan may never come quite to fruition.

“The Albanese Government is delivering world class, sovereign capabilities through this investment in Navy’s future fleet and Australia’s vital shipbuilding and defence industry,” Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a statement. “After inheriting the oldest surface fleet Navy has operated in its history, this blueprint will see Navy equipped with a major surface combatant fleet over twice as large as planned when we came to government, with more surface combatants in the water sooner.”

Under the new plan, which the government statement claims “will constitute the largest number of surface combatants since WWII,” Australia will have 26 major surface warships.

• Three Hobart class air warfare destroyers with upgraded air defense and strike capabilities;
• Six Hunter class frigates (down from a planned nine) with undersea warfare and strike capabilities
• 11 new general purpose frigates that will provide maritime and land strike, air defense and escort capabilities
• Six new Large Optionally Crewed Surface Vessels (LOSVs) that will significantly increase Navy’s long-range strike capacity

Australia will also field 25 “minor war vessels” for homeland security operations, including six Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs). The OPVs had originally been planned to be used as part of the RAN.

The government partly built its plan from an independent surface fleet review it received in October last year. The review, recommended in the Defense Strategic Review, was never made public. The independent analysis was performed by retired Vice Adm. William Hilarides of the US Navy, Rosemary Huxtable, who ran the Australian Finance Department, and retired Vice Adm. Stuart Mayer, Royal Australian Navy, who retired as deputy commander of United Nations Command Headquarters in South Korea.

The government says it will come up with $1.7 billion in new money in what United States budgeteers would call the out-years, three years from now. (Australia budgets in three-year increments.) The rest is called “Forward Estimates,” money that is not yet committed. In total, the Albanese government — which may well not be in office by then — commits to spend $11.1 billion in new funding over the next decade for the surface fleet and “to expand Australia’s shipbuilding industry.”

That money, if passed, would combine with planned acquisition and sustainment investments to result in a total of $54.2 billion in surface fleet spending over the next decade, the government statement says.

The shadow defense minister, Andrew Hastie, was skeptical of the government’s commitment, seeing “serious flaws” in the plan.

“After more than 300 days of waiting, the Opposition welcomes the Government’s response to the long-awaited Surface Fleet Review, the ambition to grow the Royal Australian Navy and the investment into Western Australia’s industrial base. There are, however, serious flaws in Labor’s superficial plan, which the Opposition is yet to be briefed on, despite formal requests,” Hastie said in a statement. “The Albanese Government talks up larger ships, and a larger fleet, but there is no larger strategy and the money in the forward estimates doesn’t cover the cuts that Labor has already made to Defence.”

Hastie said publicly what has been rumored in defense circles for more than six months, that Marles lacks punch in the most important venue in Australia’s budget wars. “The truth is that Richard Marles,” he said, “has once again lost at the Expenditure Review Committee table to (Treasurer) Jim Chalmers, (Foreign Minister) Penny Wong and (Minister for Finance) Katy Gallagher. Under Labor’s plan, we won’t see a ship in the water until 2031. We’ll see HMAS Anzac permanently retired, with no replacement until next decade.”

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결국 '작은 배 많이'를 선택한 것이네요.

[위종민]

기사에서 말하는 예산도 예산이지만, 저 배를 굴릴 인력을 증원가능할 지 모르겠습니다. 영연방 내에서 스카웃한다 쳐도 다른 나라들도 죄다 인력부족에 시달리고 있는데 말이죠.