It's an interesting debate.
One would think that a vessel with a base line combination of a 57mm gun and Sea RAM would have a reasonable measure of self defence , coupled with other missile / gun combinations trailed and employed across the Freedom and Independence Classes.
Somewhat surprised they are not up for the job at hand against the Houthis level of threat.
Their absence, if true maybe the answer to my expectation.
That said it does play to our fleet and it's capability going forward.
It we get a "Tier Two thing" it will need a respectable offering across all realms of threat.
That's probably at least a 5000t ship
Maybe my assumption that there is still a place for a basic Tier Three long ranged helicopter capable vessel with a medium calibre gun are over.
We will know soon enough.
Cheers S
Boeing and Stampede, good point on the LCS classes, and it is very insightful to observe how the Red Sea operation unfolds.
I will suggest however that the LCSs were never meant to be AAW platforms. Their original strategy was to provide functions such as minesweeping/submarine hunting in shallow waters, or launching special forces ashore, all (and always) under the cover of a nearby destroyer. As the Houthis have not started laying mines or launching small submarines, then they don't really have a purpose in the Red Sea. I would view that this is more the reason that they are not there, and it doesn't mean they are of no use, just this is the wrong theatre.
That said I would agree the LCSs are currently struggling to find a purpose in the new world, and hindsight indicates it was at best an odd decision to build a warship with no substantial inbuilt weapons. In particular the lack of an AAW defence capability seems to now be a shortsighted decision.
Perhaps they could have been used if they were fitted with say an 8 or 16 cell VLS with ESSM and an appropriate radar to match. They are large enough ships that this could have been considered at the design stage.
In regards to the Arafura's I would also agree that it is unwise to retrofit them as a frontline warship, both from the perspective that they were not designed for this purpose, but also that it would detract from their intended function. I would suggest that the Arafuras represent a very good and substantial upgrade to the patrol fleet (once the current issues are sorted), and that the patrol fleet provides an essential and ongoing requirement that we need. The Arafuras have a purpose, so let them do their job as intended.
I would however differ on the view that small ships can't be capable, and that all warships must be large platforms. Basic AAW/ASuW/ASW functionality is available on corvettes in the sub 3,000 tonne range. It comes with some compromises, such as possibly range and endurance, but not every mission requires this.
To illustrate, lets say the world deteriorates (my glass half empty view of the future) and we get the type of grey warfare (push and shove) that is occurring in the China Sea moving down through the Indonesian archipelago, the Pacific Islands, Christmas island and maybe even to the Abrolhos. Perhaps foreign fishing fleets, coast guard or naval vessels start getting based out of the Solomon Islands, Naru or Myanmar for more agressive patrols through the Indian and Pacific regions.
Large MWVs certainly have the lead role to play in confronting this, but even with an expanded fleet of say 15-18 tier 1s and the upcoming SSNs, this will get stretched very quickly.
Lower end warfare functions such as picket duties to close off/monitor choke points and hold local regions are an important part of any denial strategy. However it's not the best use of a big ship, and many of these points/regions are within easy reach (say 1,000 km) of Darwin or Broome (or other friendly port), so range is not so much of a requirement. Likewise it is a job that requires some offensive capability, so the Capes and Arafuras that would normally be in this region would be out of their depth by themselves.
I would suggest that a number of corvette style ships, with an ESSM capable VLS, a helo, a few ASMs and perhaps some mine laying capabilities could do this type of role very effectively. Maybe they could coordinate and protect a range of Arafura, Cape and Guardian patrol boats to support them in this activity. Or they team up with some of the other SE Asian Navy corvettes/frigates/patrol boats in a broader network. Resupply (fuel and food) could be obtained relatively easily on (by AOR) or nearby (port).
My take on the tier 2 conversation, is that this is the type of wartime/ heightened threat duty that a tier 2 would be required to do (robust area denial and local defence close to Australia). Anything more is a tier 1 function, and needs a tier 1 type of platform.
Our MWVs then get to operate further away from home (where range, endurance and high end fire power is important) on more high risk activities, stopping the bigger threats from getting close to the choke points that are closer to home.
