The second destroyer of Navantia enters the service of the Australian Navy
The destroyer "Brisbane", the second of the three ships designed by the Spanish naval construction company Navantia that it agreed with Australia, entered the service of the Navy of the oceanic country at a ceremony held at a military base in Sydney.
"It is a great achievement, to be able to build a destroyer of these dimensions and capabilities, we did it as a nation, with our partners Navantia, ASC, Osborne (Australian shipyard) and Raytheon," said Australian Defense Minister Christopher Pyne. during a speech.
The "Brisbane", together with the "Hobart" -delivered in 2017- and the "Sydney" -provided for 2020-, are based on the Spanish frigate F100 and have the Aegis combat system, as well as long range radars and missiles and other characteristics that make them the warships with the greatest capacity in Australia.
The destroyers were built by the local consortium AWD Alliace, formed by the Australian Ministry of Defense, the state ASC (Australian Submarine Corporation) and Raytheon Australia, whose management was entrusted to Navantia in 2015 due to problems in the schedule and budget .
"We are a strategic company that provides the country with technological capacity and cutting-edge industrial solutions for the protection of national sovereignty in the areas of defense and security," the president of Navantia, Susana de Sarriá, who was present at the meeting, told Efe. Sydney ceremony.
The "Brisbane", commanded by Captain Josh Wilson and its nearly two hundred crew members, is scheduled to leave Sydney Bay soon for testing on the high seas.
The destroyers are part of a project by Australia, a historic ally of the United States, to maintain the peace and security of the country and the region, marked by territorial disputes and free navigation in the South China Sea and the threat of nuclear tests and ballistics of North Korea.
"While Australia will seek to be friendly and not antagonize, we must do so from a position of strength, preparation and ability," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said during the ceremony.
