Hillary Mansour, Khwezi Nkwanyana and Matthew Page
Sea state
All three of Australia’s Hobart-class guided missile destroyers have passed the final phase of testing and evaluation now that HMAS Sydney has returned from a successful 18-week trial deployment to the US and Canada. The trio are the Royal Australian Navy’s most powerful vessels ever and are expected to receive regular technology and capability updates. They are equipped with the same systems used by the US Navy, with the goal of enhancing the interoperability and interchangeability of US and Australian ships in the Indo-Pacific. The chief of US naval operations, Admiral Michael Gilday, has admitted that the design for the new USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier was overly experimental, which caused scheduling delays and cost overruns. He said that introducing just a few new technologies into the complex platform would have ensured smoother integration. Instead, the carrier has 23 new systems, increasing the risk of multiple system failures and slowing the rate of progress. Despite these issues, completion is projected for next year.
The five-domains update | The Strategist (aspistrategist.org.au)
