CDI have no contract for more Arafuras, the keel for Nuship Carpentaria(the 6th OPV) was laid in Q3 last year and all the steel units were completed back in 2024. If they were going to build more after the fleet review, they would have continued building units from 2025. Heading into 2027 -at this point, we’d be better off building a new class than restarting Arafura production.A bit of food for thought. Contract for more Arafuras with the specific purpose as mother ships to get them into theatre to launch the UUVs. Only give them a decent gun for some sort of self defence. They would be a force multiplier and it would allow us to optimise the Tier 1 and 2 hulls for war fighting. Carrying around Ghost Shark and Speartooth will degrade that ability.
What would be a suitable hull for that capability? Something in production without Australianization . A proven design that can defend itself if it gets too close to a hot zone. Government and defence REALLY have to hedge their bets here. We don't have lead time any more. Just grab something off the shelf, slap on the deployment gear for the UUVs, and go. Like yesterday. We are sleepwalking into disaster. And give them a b****y gun and close in SAMs.CDI have no contract for more Arafuras, the keel for Nuship Carpentaria(the 6th OPV) was laid in Q3 last year and all the steel units were completed back in 2024. If they were going to build more after the fleet review, they would have continued building units from 2025. Heading into 2027 -at this point, we’d be better off building a new class than restarting Arafura production.
The program has not gone well clearly, 12 were to be in service by 2029, now just 6 in the same timeframe.
We both know thats not going to happen.What would be a suitable hull for that capability? Something in production without Australianization . A proven design that can defend itself if it gets too close to a hot zone. Government and defence REALLY have to hedge their bets here. We don't have lead time any more. Just grab something off the shelf, slap on the deployment gear for the UUVs, and go. Like yesterday. We are sleepwalking into disaster. And give them a b****y gun and close in SAMs.