
The Australian Department of Defence has taken a significant step toward acquiring nine new anti-submarine warfare frigates for the Royal Australian Navy.The department announced March 31 that it has asked three ship designers – BAE Systems of the United Kingdom, Fincantieri of Italy and Navantia of Spain -- to submit proposals for the Future Frigate project, also known as SEA 5000.The department plans to begin evaluating responses to its request for tender (RFT) later this year and announce a winning…