Tenders open for Australian Navy shipbuilding contract

Australian shipbuilders have been invited to tender for one of the countries? largest defence projects. The Federal Government has advertised for majority Australian-owned companies to construct three air warfare destroyers in a project worth between $4.5 billion and $6 billion. The tenders would remain open for about nine weeks before being evaluated by the Defence Department and the Government expects to name the successful shipbuilder in March next year.

The planning for the destroyers has been described as a ‘quantum leap’ in the Navy’s future warfare capabilities and will be able to detect and defeat multiple aircraft and missiles at ranges of more than 150 kilometres. They are due to be commissioned by 2013.