Australian large optionally-crewed surface vessel program
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Australian Marine Complex (Austal) |
| Operators | Royal Australian Navy (planned) |
| Built | TBA |
| In commission | TBA |
| Planned | 6 |
| Completed | 0 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Optionally-crewed arsenal ship |
| Complement | Optionally-crewed; RAN intends to crew them |
| Sensors & processing systems | Aegis Baseline 9 |
| Armament |
|
The Australian large optionally-crewed surface vessel program (LOSV) is a procurement program of the Royal Australian Navy aimed at delivering 6 large optionally crewed arsenal ships, armed with 32 Mark 41 vertical launching system cells hosting a range of surface-to-air, land-attack, anti-ship and possibly anti-ballistic missiles. The requirement for these vessels was outlined in the 2024 Surface Fleet Review.
The vessels were speculated to be of the same class as the related American program, however in November 2025 Australian shipbuilder Austal revealed their pitch, the Vantage-class
Design
The ships are intended to be based on the United States' future Large Uncrewed Surface Vehicle, nonetheless, shipbuilder Austal released a pitch for the program.[1] The vessels are intended to be crewed, however the optionally-crewed nature allows for the ships to be autonomous when required. The ships are slated to have 32 strike-length Mark 41 VLS cells, the same number as the much larger New-FFM-class ships ordered for the RAN as well.[2]
Ships
| Name | Pennant | Builder | Ordered | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | Australian Marine Complex | Not yet ordered | |||||
| TBA | Not yet ordered | ||||||
| TBA | Not yet ordered | ||||||
| TBA | Not yet ordered | ||||||
| TBA | Not yet ordered | ||||||
| TBA | Not yet ordered |
See also
- Australian general purpose frigate program
- Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle
- SSN-AUKUS
- Australian Surface Fleet Review
- Future of the Royal Australian Navy
References
- ^ "Austal unveils Vantage-class optionally-crewed vessels - Australian Defence Magazine". www.australiandefence.com.au. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ Garman, Liam (20 February 2024). "'Optionally crewed' vessels provide VLS firepower for Tier 1 combatants". www.defenceconnect.com.au. Retrieved 8 November 2025.