Čileanska RM je kupila fregate Melburn i Njukastl, klase Adelaide, od Australije. Brodovi bi trebali da budu isporučeni tokom ove godine.
Defence strategists lament sale of ‘most capable ships in RAN history’5:36PM DECEMBER 27
The Australian government will sell two guided-missile frigates to Chile, disappointing strategists who say they should have been retained by the navy or given to a Southeast Asian neighbour.The Adelaide-class vessels HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Newcastle were commissioned in the early 1990s and lauded in 2008 as “the most capable ships in the history of the RAN” after undergoing an extensive refit. They will have US-licensed combat systems — installed just over a decade ago — removed before they are handed over. The frigates are the last of six Adelaide-class vessels to be retired. They will be replaced by three new air warfare destroyers.
John Blaxland, from the ANU’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, said the frigates were in good condition and should continue to serve alongside the newer ships.
“It remains a very good platform. The fact that Chile wants to buy them speaks to their enduring utility,” he said. Rather than selling the ships, the government should be ramping up efforts to recruit new sailors, Professor Blaxland said. He said rising tensions between the US and China, environmental disasters and governance challenges meant Australia could not afford to sell off tried and tested ships.
“This is a wake-up call. While we have embarked on a regeneration of the naval fleet, we are basically talking about one for one rather than growing,” he said.
“The government is focused so much on its deficit problem it’s not focusing on the bigger picture here. We need to keep these, and when the Anzac frigates come up to being replaced, we should keep them too.”La Trobe Asia director Euan Graham said the guided-missile frigates were still valuable, and could have continued to play a strategic role. Given they were being sold, he said they should have gone to a nearer neighbour.
“Australia has relatively few opportunities to make its capacity-building felt to this level, and the strategic priority should fall on Australia’s near regions, and in concentric circles beyond that,” Mr Graham said. The Greek government expressed its interest in the ships, and it’s understood Vietnam was also considering whether to make a bid, but The Australian has learned Chile will take the ships off Australia’s hands.
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds declined to comment.
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Izvor:
www.theaustralian.com.au 
