Thanks to the extra space at the stern, there are now 8x over the horizon (OTH) anti-ship missiles in additition to the 8x launchers fitted forward, for a total of 16x anti-ship missiles. An Austal representative explained to Navy Recognition that the increased number of missiles exceeds the minimum requirement expressed by the US Navy, but is in line with the distributed lethality concept and doesn't need additional development.



The new stern space is also fitted with a variable depth sonar and its handling system as well as a towed array.