This is part of broader plan to transform and roughly double the size of the Royal Australian Navy's major surface combatant fleets ... on when it comes to its future optionally-crewed vessels.

The Australian Navy is set to be transformed. On top of existing plans for nuclear submarines, the government yesterday announced a scheme for an "enhanced lethality surface combatant fleet ...

The navy is under-gunned for the strategic circumstances Australia faces. For years, commentators have criticized its existing and planned platforms for possessing too few missile cells.

Navy Chief Vice Admiral Mark Hammond is welcomed the investment - which comes at a total cost of $54 billion dollars. “This will be the largest surface combatant force we have operated in ...