Canadian leg of Frigate Systems Upgrade winds up

As the FSU programme winds up, HMNZS Te Mana sets its sights on home after a three-year stay in Canada marked by delays and legal controversy.

According to a 31 May Ministry of Defence media release, the Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Mana and its 165-strong crew are setting sail for home following completion of a major systems upgrade in Canada.

“This complex programme of work has upgraded both Anzac-class frigates’ combat systems including radars, weapons, hardware, electronic systems, and sonars,” said Mike Yardley Deputy Secretary Capability Delivery at the Ministry of Defence. “I’d like to thank the Royal Canadian Navy for their support while the frigates have been based in Victoria.”

The Frigate Systems Upgrade is one of a series of projects aimed at extending the Anzac-class frigates’ operational life out to 2035.

“With the upgraded HMNZS Te Kaha already home, the return of HMNZS Te Mana signals the restoration of the Royal New Zealand Navy’s combat capability,” said Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral David Proctor.

“Once their modern systems have been fully introduced, the frigates will provide Aotearoa with high end options over the full range of maritime operations. Te Kaha and Te Mana will be able to deploy anywhere in the world to advance our national interests, including providing maritime security alongside our partners where needed.”

The upgrade by Lockheed Martin Canada has delivered new radars, electronic detection and other above water systems, self-defence missile system, decoys against missiles and torpedoes, and upgrade to the hullmounted sonar, and the combat management system that integrates these.

After stripping out legacy systems, Lockheed Martin Canada began the project’s installation phase in May 2018 with HMNZS Te Kaha. Working commenced on Te Mana in 2019.

“The work for each frigate involved removal of 44 tonnes of old equipment and structure, and the addition of 67 tonnes of new equipment. More than 55 kilometres of new cabling was pulled through the two ships; and over two million lines of code was written, linking the ships’ weapons and sensors to her new combat management system,” Mike Yardley said.

On returning to Aotearoa, Te Mana will undertake a series of trials, tests, and exercises, allowing for the progressive release of the ship’s operational capabilities.

Both ships were due to return to New Zealand in 2020. Te Kaha returned in December 2020, nine months after its planned completion date.

The Frigate Systems Upgrade (FSU) project was identified in the 2010 Defence White Paper as necessary to maintain the frigates’ combat capability until the end of their service life. According to RNZ, the costs to upgrade Te Mana and Te Kaha blew out to between $600 million and $700m, “due in part to project management mistakes.”

According to Canada’s CTV News, subcontractor Seaspan Shipyards filed a lawsuit against Lockheed Martin in British Columbia’s Supreme Court in 2020, “alleging that problems with the company’s designs had cost the shipyard more than $20 million in delays and workarounds on the first ship alone.”

Lockheed responded with a counterclaim, alleging that negligence, understaffing and mismanagement at the Victoria shipyard had caused the delays and “had set the company back tens of millions of dollars.”

image courtesy NZDF