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They actually call it a Multi Role Vessel.

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or Multi Role Corvette.

IMHO I don't see a corvette fitting into our requirments in the foreseeable future.

 

Even if they did have a place, it'b be at the bottom of a rather large pile of priorities of procurement, men and money.

 

eg. 4th AWD, the 3rd amphib "support" ship, fully teethed and sized Anzac replacements, towed array sonar programs, helo upgrade/replacement programs, maintaining our mine warfare capabilities, submarine manning issues, and down the track re smaller vessels: the Armidale replacements (which will be required much sooner in thier lives than the Freos lasted for).

 

A corvette or OPV sized multi role vessel would have a place post 2020 as a replacement for the ACPB, MCMV, hydrographic survey launches and some of the original brown water roles of the ANZAC's.

 

The first place we are likely to see an MRV is with Customs.

Patrolling and MCM ops are mutually exclusive to each other in ship design (look at Canada's MCDVs, designed to to fill both roles, does them both very  poorly).
And whilst in theory MCM and Hydro could be built into one ship, it would be a really bad idea. The skill sets of the entire crews of both of them are vastly different, both the crew of an MHC and SML are centred very much on Mine Warfare and Hydro types respectively. And even more of a point, do you realise just how much water the Hydros must cover, they simply do not have any time to spare to let a Hydro capable ship go play minehunter for a few weeks of exercises. Likewise for the MW types, there job can be a perishable skill, if they dont have the ships to train on because they are off doing a survey of some ridiculously large expanse of water, the RANs mine warfare capabilities will be seriously degraded. Not to mention that why on earth would you want to downgrade from a bloody good vessel in a Huon, to a jack-of-all-trades/good-at-none vessel? Especially as the mine threat only looks grow in the future.

 

As for brown water frigate roles, what exactly are you referring to? and where in the world do you envisage them being conducted? I'd have concerns sending a corvette into a high threat environment, and I'd be skeptical as to whether they have the legs to do ops too far away from home, we have to travel alot further than any of our northern neighbours who have corvettes do.

I should have been clearer.

 

I wasn't suggesting that each ship should or could conduct every role but rather that a common hull could be tailored to provide versions to carry out each role exclusively.

 

In the future hydrographic MCM and ASW will make extensive use of unmanned platforms which would make a large volume, shallow draft MCV very useful.

Well that is more workable, however with regards to MCM, even with increased use of unmanned vehicles, I'd still want the mother ship to be able to both take a big shock from a hit, and have far reduced magnetic & acoustic signitures. Maybe the makers should get back to us when they have this thing in fibreglass mold.

I suppose what I am suggesting is a LCS "Light" but with a number of hulls permanently assigned and purpose built for the more specialised roles.

 

The advantage would be that the techo's who maintain and the Seamen who drive the ships would be able to serve on any of the MRV hulls while the specialist operators would stick to specific ships / divisions.

 

The ANZAC's were originally intended to be glorified OPV's patroling our EEZ while the 8 planned tier 1 destroyers / frigates did all the hot and warm out of area deployments.  The decission not to replace the DDG's followed by the delays with SEA 1390 saw the tier 2 ANZAC patrol frigates deployed inplace of tier 1 warships.  An OPV or Corvette version of the MRV would make a great long term replacement for the ACPB's and the ANZAC's in the EEZ patrol role, allowing the number of highly capable destroyers / frigates (suitable for hot war deployments) to be increased.