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BAE Systems Maritime Australia is set to broaden its Strategic Supplier Partnerships program with a select group of small and medium-sized enterprises, in a bid to safeguard the build schedule of the first of three anti-submarine frigates under the Hunter Class frigate program.
By producing ship sections off-site, BAE Systems Maritime Australia (BAESMA) ensures the nation’s inaugural Tier One submarine-hunting surface combatant remains on track even when the Osborne Naval Shipyard is operating at full capacity.
To date, two partnerships are in place: Century Engineering at Edinburgh North and MG Engineering at Port Adelaide, both delivering critical elements for Ship 1. Buoyed by the success of these ventures, BAESMA will onboard additional Australian companies later this year and into 2026, bolstering both capacity and capability to meet looming production demands.
At MG Engineering’s Port Adelaide facility, work has now begun on Ship 1’s Unit B21 and Unit C31B components – marking the first time a primary Hunter Class structure has been fabricated outside Osborne. These units are profiled from raw plate and paired with complex shell sections formed at the naval yard.
“Supplying units for the first Hunter Class frigate is a massive undertaking that requires not only technical expertise but also a commitment to meeting deadlines and quality benchmarks,” said Jason Loveday, program director for the Hunter Class Frigate Program at BAESMA. “MG Engineering’s status as a strategic supplier is a testament to its people’s capabilities and dedication to delivering the highest quality.”
He added that “in a complex project like this, an efficient, reliable supply chain is vital. We work closely with our suppliers and logistics teams, maintaining a strong focus on quality control at every step”.
Anthony Brdar, managing director of MG Engineering, echoed that sentiment: “Our team’s commitment to precision and quality has enabled us to support the Commonwealth’s biggest surface-ship program. This partnership not only reinforces our position in the defence sector but also demonstrates our capacity to deliver complex, high-performance components to Tier One surface combatants.”
MG Engineering’s scope encompasses cutting, forming and fabricating side shells, bulkheads and seating structures. BAESMA’s safety, manufacturing engineering and quality divisions have aligned processes to ensure all products meet both Hunter specifications and Lloyd’s Register rules.
Earlier this year, MG Engineering assembled prototype unit UC31B – a 16-tonne port-side assembly that will shortly be joined by its starboard counterpart to form Prototyping Block 5, a key segment of the frigate’s hull.
Construction of Ship 1 is on budget and on schedule, with 29 of 78 blocks already under way. The first vessel is due for delivery to the Commonwealth in 2032 and envisaged to enter service by 2034. Ships 2 and 3 will follow on a two-year cadence, becoming operational in 2036 and 2038, respectively.
The Hunter program sits at the heart of the Commonwealth’s Continuous Naval Shipbuilding strategy, an investment designed to secure sovereign maritime capability for decades. Building up to six anti-submarine warfare frigates will demand a workforce of some 2,600 and see more than 400 tradespeople hired in 2025 to reach peak production at Osborne.
BAESMA has already awarded over 80 contracts to Australian industry and is partnering with on-site SMEs to deliver services ranging from blast and painting, insulation and HVAC, to deck coverings, non-destructive testing and habitation – some of which will be revealed later in 2025.
