Shipbucket

During the 1980s, the Royal Westralian Navy began plans to replace their Esperance-class frigates, which despite extensive modernisations were recognised as beginning to rapidly age and approach obsolescence (having been built upon lengthened Leander hulls). Various proposals were made and designs examined, with the initial idea being to modify a foreign design to meet Westralian needs, though to a lesser extent than ships in the past. Serious consideration was given to joining with Australia and New Zealand in their ANZAC program, however it was ultimately decided that the design requirements didn't entirely align with the program. It was not until 1995, and another modernisation program for the existing Esperance-class, that it was decided to design and build a new class of frigate entirely within Westralia, with technical assistance provided by Blohm+Voss.

By the turn of the millennium, the design for the new class was finalised and construction began in NWS' Henderson shipyard. Many of the systems and weapons fit out was to be recycled from the Esperence class to reduce costs, and the modular nature of construction that had been settled upon would allow easier future upgrades. A modular section just forward of the bridge was designed to allow the easy fitment of differing VLS systems if need be, allowing upgrades to the weapons of the class when required. Blohm+Voss' technical involvement heavily influenced the design, with a number of features borne out of work on South Africa's MEKO based Valour-class. Signature reduction measures were crucial elements to the design, principally the use of X-form based architecture and expelling pre-cooled exhaust gases just above the water-line through an exhaust on the transom, much like B+V's MEKO A200 design.

In 2001, the new class of frigate was officially named the Broome-class, and the first of class, Broome, was launched in 2004 and commissioned in 2005.



Length: 130m
Displacement: 4800 tons
Speed: 28kts
Range: 7500nm at 16kts
Complement: 172
Armament: Mk45 Mod 1 127mm, 2x GAM-B01 20mm, 2x .50 M2, 16-cell Mk41 VLS with RIM-7M, 8x RGM-84 Harpoon, Mk46 Torpedo, Phalanx Block 1A CIWS
Systems: SPS-49, SMART S, SPS-55 Navigation Radar, Thales Sonar 2050, Type 2031 Towed Array Sonar
Aviation and Boats: Room for up to 2x Westland Lynx, normally with one fitted for anti-submarine missions and one for SAR/GP. 2x RHIBs mounted on davits amidships

By 2012, it was seen that the class was already struggling to maintain capability in comparison to many contemporary designs. As such, the RWN commissioned an extensive refit, which many saw as closer to a rebuild (and an expensive one at that) of the class, with new sensors and systems, chiefly a new radar developed from Australia's CEAFAR and tailored for Westralian needs, weapons changes, and further signature reductions. Heavy emphasis was given on improving automation also. Ships were controversially submitted for refit two at a time, starting in 2014, with the first two (Broome and Karratha) completing refit in 2017 and rejoining the fleet as the other two entered refit. Completion of the refit program is expected in 2020.



Length: 130m
Displacement: 5400 tons
Speed: 27kts
Range: 7300nm at 16kts
Complement: 145
Armament: Mk 45 Mod 4, Nexter Narhwal 20mm, Oto Melara Hitrole .50 RWS, 32 x Mk41 Strike Length (with SM-2 and ESSM though cruise-missiles are intended to be fitted), 8 x Harpoon fitted behind doors on the weapons module forward of VLS cells (to be replaced by cannister launched LRASM Post-2020), MU90 Impact torpedo, Millenium Gun 35mm CIWS
Sensors and Systems: CEAFAR 2(W), Kelvin Hughes Sharpeye (both S and X-Band antennae), Safran Vampir NG, Rafael TopLite MHD, Ultra Electronics Sonar 2150, Thales CAPTAS 4
Aviation and Boats: Room for up to two AgustaWestland Wildcat, or one NH90 and smaller UAVs, 2 x RHIBs mounted on davits amidships behind roller-doors

That's some fine looking ships! Very elegant hull.

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More interesting designs.
At first I thought the Broome Class looked a little odd but the looks have grown on me and it seems a nicely balanced frigate.
The refit looks rather ambitious, could it be achieved in real life (topweight concerns)? I'm not so sure but it looks good.

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It may be a tad top-heavy yes, but I lined it up alongside a number of other modern frigates and it never seemed it have much difference in draught, at most maybe 3ft less than some of the larger frigates I compared it with. With the Fridtjof Nansen, which physically I feel it matches with the closest, it was only a foot or so, and that has probably about the same amount of top-weight. In regards to the refit/rebuild, I figured it could probably be done, just be tremendously expensive and take some time. Really, most things can be done if you throw enough money at it! Glad you like the looks of it though!

and Fridtjof Nansen class was build to handle minimum 300 tons of ice on deck, so since you operate in a warmer climate, it should be that big of a problem, you are not going to experience that "everyday" thick ice... on the deck

I absolutely love this frigate! But please, please get rid of that ancient terrible generic L-band radar drawing. There is a much better SPS-49 available on the modern Perry drawing.

http://shipbucket.com/drawings/7390

I think there are also newer, better-scaled GAM-B01 and Harpoon available on the parts sheets.

Very nice work.

After the RWN decommissioned the Guided Missile Destroyers Perth and Kalgoorlie in the early 1990s, Westralia was without any form of naval area air defence for a considerable period of time. Over a decade after their retirement, in 2005, the Navy instituted a program to restore that lost capability. Whilst at first an indigenous design built in Westralia was seen as the avenue to pursue, it was soon realised that the only shipyard capable of building such large surface combatants, the National Westralian Shipyard in Henderson, was occupied with the construction of the Broome class frigates, and that it may prove prohibitively expensive to do so (something learned from the ballooning costs of the Broome class). Somewhat reluctantly, it was decided that a modified foreign design would be selected and built overseas, both with an intention to reduce time and cost to deliver an area air defence capability.

By 2009, a decision had been reached to procure modified Type 45's from the United Kingdom, partly based on an impressive test demonstration of the Sea Viper system to RWN officials, with first delivery in 2015. The primary modification was to swap out ASTER and its SYLVER launcher for 64 strike-length Mk41 VLS firing SM-2, SM-2ER and ESSM, something that ultimately increased cost beyond what was even predicted for an indigenous design built in Westralia, leading to much media skepticism to the program. Not only did some structural modifications have to be made to fit the extra cells, but more importantly the alternate weapons had to be integrated. Whilst this was accomplished through Raytheon's new dual-band datalinks that had previously allowed the missiles to be fired by APAR equipped frigates, the RWN and Westralian government had to foot the bill for these developments as a part of the purchase deal. Furthermore, it was decided to integrate a fixed CEA MOUNT array so to ensure sufficient illumination capabilities existed for SM-2 and ESSM. Other weapons also had to be integrated, though these were far less complex. Furthermore, a late design change brought about by RN experiences with unreliable WR-21 powerplants meant the completed hulls had to be cut back open to have additional diesel generators installed.

Despite the cost and changes, the first of the new Perth Class Frigates, HMWS Perth (despite the design originally being classified as a destroyer, the RWN reclassified the class to streamline all major surface combatants into Frigate Force) was delivered only a month behind schedule, joining Royal Westralian Navy Frigate Force in late 2015. The second, Kalgoorlie, followed just over a year later. In 2018, Perth was repainted to resemble the first HMWS Perth during WWII, for the 75th Anniversary of the Royal Westralian Navy.



Length: 152m
Displacement: 8500 tons
Speed: 30+ kts
Range: 7000nm at 18kts
Complement: 191
Armament: Mk45 Mod 4 5"/62 (127mm), 2 x Nexter Narwhal 20mm, 2 x Millenium Gun 35mm CIWS, 64 x Mk41 VLS with SM-2ER, SM-2, ESSM, and LRASM-VL (Post-2020), 8 x Harpoon (until 2020), MU-90 Impact torpedo
Sensors and Systems: SAMPSON air-tracking radar, S1850M Surveillance Radar, CEA MOUNT, Kelvin-Hughes Sharpeye, Ultra Electronics MFS7000 sonar
Aviation and Boats: 1 Helicopter, normally Wildcat, 2 RHIBs

Very good work

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More here:viewtopic.php?f=14&t=8292

Great vessels; go on!