Australian Navy HMAS Hobart First of Class Trials

HMAS Hobart has achieved a number of firsts for her class and the Royal Australian Navy over the past several weeks off the east coast of Australia.

Hobart successfully tested her 20mm Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) against an inflatable surface target, marking the first ever time an Australian warship has fired a CIWS capable of striking air and surface targets.

The ship’s five-inch main gun was tested against a towed target from varying distances and directions in an early morning naval gunfire exercise.

Two practice delivery torpedoes were also fired from the port and starboard tubes with both torpedoes recovered for analysis by Navy’s Surface Forces branch.

Test Director Lieutenant Commander David Small of Surface Forces oversaw the program of firing serials and said they would help prove the true capabilities of Australia’s newest warships.

“First-of-class trials set a baseline for the performance of a new class of ship”, he said.