The Royal Australian Navy’s three Hobart class destroyers have formally achieved their final operational capability (FOC).

The three vessels, HMA Ships Hobart, Brisbane, and Sydney achieved the milestone following the recent return of HMAS Sydney from a successful test and evaluation of its Aegis combat system and its weapons systems in the US and Canada.

“Navy’s three Hobart class destroyers use a number of systems in common with the US Navy, which allows our ships to be fully interchangeable with the most advanced allied naval force in the Indo-Pacific region,” Chief of Navy VADM Michael Noonan said in a release. “Australian destroyers are a key contribution to the Australia-United States alliance and will be employed in maintaining the peace and prosperity of our region for the next 30 years.

“Due to the ever-changing strategic environment, the Hobart class will continue to be upgraded with the latest weapons and sensors over coming years in order to maintain a capability edge,” he added. “They are equipped with a layered defensive and offensive capabilities for above water, surface and undersea warfare. Our destroyers are a force multiplier for the ADF and a key element of the joint force Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) capability.”

The three vessels are considered to be the most advanced warships to ever serve in the RAN. They are based on Navantia’s F104 design and were built at Osborne in South Australia by the AWD Alliance under the Project SEA 4000 Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) program.