ADELAIDE, Australia, May 26 (UPI) -- The first of three air warfare destroyers for the Royal Australian Navy, the Hobart, was launched on the weekend in the state of South Australia.
The Hobart, the first of class AWD, is 483 feet long, 61 feet in the beam, will have a speed of more than 28 knots and a range of 5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots per hour. It will be capable of firing a variety of missiles – including cruise missiles – and will carry five-inch guns and Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems.