![]() HMAS Ballarat in 2016.
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Class overview | |
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Name | Anzac |
Builders | AMECON |
Operators |
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Preceded by |
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Succeeded by |
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Built | 1993–2006 |
In commission |
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Planned | 12 |
Completed | 10 |
Cancelled | 2 |
Active | 9 |
Retired | 1 |
General characteristics as designed | |
Type | Frigate |
Displacement | 3,600 t (3,500 long tons; 4,000 short tons) full load displacement |
Length |
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Beam | 14.8 m (49 ft) |
Draught | 4.35 m (14.3 ft) at full load |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) |
Range | 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
Complement | 22 officers, 141 sailors and 16 government worker or air crew. |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Electronic warfare & decoys |
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Armament |
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Aircraft carried |
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Notes | For upgrades and current configurations, see the sections on "Australian modifications" and "New Zealand modifications", or the individual ship articles |
The Anzac class (also identified as the ANZAC class and the MEKO 200 ANZ type) is a ship class of ten frigates; eight operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and two operated by the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). During the 1980s, the RAN began plans to replace the River-class destroyer escorts (based on the British Leander-class frigate) with a mid-capability patrol frigate and settled on the idea of modifying a proven German design for Australian conditions. Around the same time, the RNZN was seeking to replace their Leander-class frigates while maintaining blue-water capabilities. A souring of relations between New Zealand and the United States in relation to New Zealand's nuclear-free zone and the ANZUS security treaty prompted New Zealand to seek improved ties with other nations, particularly Australia. As both nations were seeking warships of similar capabilities, the decision was made in 1987 to collaborate on their acquisition. The project name (and later, the class name) is taken from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps of the First World War.
Twelve ship designs were tendered in 1986.[3] By 1989, the project had selected a proposal by Germany's Blohm + Voss, based on their MEKO 200 design, to be built in Australia by AMECON at Williamstown, Victoria. The modular design of the frigates allowed sections to be constructed at Whangārei, New Zealand and Newcastle, New South Wales in addition to Williamstown. The RAN ordered eight ships, while the RNZN ordered two and had the option to add two more. The frigate acquisition was controversial and widely opposed in New Zealand, and as a result, the additional ships were not ordered.
In 1992, work started on the frigates; 3,600-tonne (3,500-long-ton) ships capable of a 27-knot (50 km/h; 31 mph) top speed, and a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). The armament initially consisted of a single 5-inch gun and a point-defence missile system, supported by a missile-armed helicopter. In addition, the ships were fitted for but not with a torpedo system, anti-ship missiles, and a close-in weapons system. The last ship of the class entered service in 2006; by this point, the RAN and RNZN had embarked on separate projects to improve the frigates' capabilities by fitting the additional weapons, along with updates to other systems and equipment.
Since entering service, Anzac-class frigates have made multiple deployments outside local waters, including involvement in the INTERFET multi-national deployment to East Timor, and multiple operational periods in the Persian Gulf. As of 2024[update], nine ships are in service following HMAS Anzac's decommissioning in May 2024.[4] The RAN intends to start replacing theirs in 2024,[5] while the RNZN ships will remain active until the mid-2030s.
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