HMAS Arunta’s new mast is craned into place at Henderson Shipyard.

The replacement of HMAS Arunta’s mast at Henderson Shipyard in Western Australia marks another major milestone in the Anzac Class Midlife Capability Assurance Program (AMCAP).

The program, being implemented by the Warship Asset Management Agreement (WAMA), involves the upgrade of a number of platform and warfare systems in Navy’s eight Anzac Class Frigates.

Major Projects Implementation Manager, Commander Steve Ford, said the new mast was designed to accommodate the replacement of the existing Long Range Air Search Radar as well as replace the existing Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) capability.

“Ships use their air search radar to scan at long ranges for potential threats, so it’s an integral part of a modern warship and extremely important for ensuring the safety of the vessel,” Commander Ford said.

“The current radar has served the frigates well but it is important to keep pace with modern technology to maintain the robust frontline capability provided by these ships.

“CEA Technologies is an internationally-recognised Australian company that developed the highly successful CEAFAR1 anti-ship missile defence radar system which is currently installed on the Anzac Class Frigates.

“CEAFAR2-L builds on this successful technology to deliver a generational improvement on the current long-range radar installed on the frigates.”

The new mast was designed and built by BAE Systems to support the CEAFAR2-L Phased Array Radar capability, in addition to existing capabilities.

The Anzac Class Midlife Capability Assurance Program starts the journey to remediate obsolescence issues and upgrades ship systems, positioning the Anzac Class ships for sustainment and maintenance of its warfare systems capabilities.

WAMA is an alliance consisting of the Commonwealth, BAE Systems Australia, Saab Systems and Naval Ship Management.