The third Project SEA 4000 air warfare destroyer sailed from Osborne in Adelaide for the first time on September 16 to commence its first round of builder’s sea trials.

The vessel, to be christened Sydney in RAN service when it is commissioned next year, will conduct a week of trials in St Vincent’s Gulf to test its hull, propulsion and navigation systems, before returning to Osborne to prepare for a more comprehensive trials in October.

“Over the past decade, more than 5,000 people from across the Department of Defence, ASC, Raytheon Australia and Navantia have dedicated millions of hours of work towards delivering the most capable warships ever to be operated by the Royal Australian Navy,” Minister for Defence, Senator Linda Reynolds said in a statement. “This is underpinned by over 2,700 suppliers who have supported the AWD Alliance in its efforts to expand Australian Industry Capability for the overall Program.”

AWD Alliance General Manager Paul Evans added, “Our highly skilled workforce has taken our third ship Sydney to sea at the greatest level of completion, capability and quality of all three destroyers at this stage. This is a remarkable achievement by ASC, Raytheon Australia, CASG & Navantia.”

The lead air warfare destroyer, HMAS Hobart will soon lead a task group on a north Asia cruise, while HMAS Brisbane recently arrived in the US to prepare for combat and weapons systems testing with the US Navy.