Bigger Royal Australian Navy could be on the way

Australia could end up with a much bigger navy as the government embarks on a national shipbuilding program which turns out new vessels every two years.

A study by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute says this is likely to involve the sale of the government-owned shipbuilder ASC. But this would only make sense if ASC could build ships cheaper than it does now.

ASPI analysts Andrew Davies and Mark Thomson said the nature of the continuous production process suggested the navy could end up with a surface warship fleet of 14 or 15 vessels, up from the current fleet of eight Anzac frigates and three air warfare destroyers.

Read more