Navy

Getting in early with cutting-edge and developmental military programs can yield huge benefits, and involves expensive gambles, but recent global events have shown the option of deploying surface vessels without humans could prove invaluable, writes Andrew Greene.

The federal government is set to bolster Australia's maritime firepower, investing $11 billion to acquire more warships and missiles.

Don't know your frigates from your AWDs and OPVs? Here's a run down of how Australia's surface naval fleet looks, and how it will change under the federal government's new plan.

The SA government says today's long-anticipated naval overhaul will secure continuous shipbuilding at Adelaide's Osborne shipyard — but the state opposition has expressed doubts it will stave off a "valley of death".

South Australia's defence sector, particularly shipbuilding, has been repeatedly spruiked as an economic boon and a pathway to long term prosperity, particularly in the wake of the demise of the automotive industry — but will what was promised actually be delivered?

During a Senate estimates hearing late on Wednesday, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond was quizzed about last year's removal of a commanding officer from a warship over claims of "unacceptable behaviour".

Scott Morrison reveals the covert diplomatic manoeuvres behind the biggest deal of his prime ministership and how he kept it a secret from the man who could torpedo it.

Survivors have gathered to mark the 60th anniversary of Australia's worst peacetime disaster, where 82 sailors died in a naval collision.

Australia's troubled Hunter-class frigate program has avoided being axed following a sweeping review of the navy's combat surface fleet, with at least six and possibly several more of the large and expensive warships to be built over coming decades.

As survivors mark the grim anniversary of the accident that claimed 82 lives, they describe the lasting impacts and invaluable camaraderie that has helped them come to terms with what they experienced.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis say they have fired missiles at two more vessels in the Red Sea, causing damage to the ships.

The US military says the sailors were taking part in a January raid on an unflagged ship carrying illicit Iranian made-weapons.

Australia will not send a warship to the Red Sea as part of international efforts to safeguard cargo from attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

AUKUS documents reveal that WA will have a low-level radioactive waste management system in place as well as receiving an influx of more than 700 Americans to work on the project.

The US and British militaries say they have shot down 15 attack drones targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea. Australian peak shipping bodies warn there could be major implications. 

HMAS Matafele disappeared without a trace during a treacherous sea voyage in 1944, but a stroke of fortune meant a 19-year-old crewman missed the boat.

The commander of Australia's naval fleet says the service is well prepared to deploy a warship to the Middle East if the Albanese government agrees to join an international mission to protect merchant vessels in the Red Sea.

Australia's acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines hits another major milestone, as supporters of the deal seek to ease concerns that it could be torn up by a future US president.

The US military takes the extraordinary step of grounding hundreds of aircraft after a preliminary investigation of last week's fatal crash indicated that something wrong with the aircraft — and not a mistake by the crew — led to the accident.

The navy removed a requirement for "value for money" from the tender process for its $45 billion future frigate program, with previously secret documents also revealing the Department of Defence selected a controversial British warship design despite being aware of potential risks.

The Philippines Coast Guard says the maritime vessels were "scattered" within Whitsun Reef, about 320 kilometres west of Palawan Island and more than 1,000 kilometres from China's Hainan Island.

Australia will join the US and UK in testing a new way of tracking Chinese submarines using artificial intelligence. The announcement comes a fortnight after Australian naval divers were injured in an incident with a Chinese warship.

The foreign minister and opposition leader press a top Chinese official over the "unsafe and unprofessional" conduct of a People's Liberation Army warship that confronted an Australian frigate earlier this month.

The warning comes in the wake of a confrontation between Australian frigate HMAS Toowoomba and a Chinese warship, which left two Australian divers with minor injuries.

HMAS Toowoomba, whose divers sustained minor injuries from a Chinese sonar pulse, has now begun joint naval patrols in the South China Sea where regional tensions with Beijing are growing.