By Marcus Hellyer*
The government has announced an 18-month delay to the Royal Australian Navy’s Hunter-class future frigate program. Is this a sign that the project is in serious trouble? Or is it simply an overdue recognition of the reality that there’s no getting around the timeframes required for highly developmental projects involving complex crewed platforms? In my view, it’s the latter, but either way the Defence Department needs to get real about the schedule’s implications for Australia’s maritime capability.
