Australia awarded a $26 billion contract to build a new generation of warships to British defence giant BAE Systems on Friday, as the Pacific nation undertakes an ambitious naval programme in part to counter China.
BAE's Global Combat Ship, to be officially known as the Hunter class, beat off competition from Italian company Fincantieri and Spain's Navantia SA.
The frigates will be "the most advanced anti-submarine warships in the world" and underpin the country's security for decades to come, said Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
"They will have the capability to conduct a variety of missions independently, or as part of a task group, with sufficient range and endurance to operate effectively throughout the region."
The ships will be designed by BAE and built using Australian steel by the government-owned ASC Shipbuilding in Adelaide, with 4,000 jobs created.
Britain said the deal was "a result of four years of intensive government engagement", and hailed it as a boost for its post-Brexit prospects.
"We have always been clear that as we leave the EU we have an opportunity to build on our close relationships with allies like Australia. This deal is a perfect illustration that the government is doing exactly that."
The vessels will replace Australia's current nine ANZAC class frigates, with the new ships equipped with a long-range cutting-edge missile defence system to counter threats from rogue states like North Korea.
They are due to enter service in the late 2020s as the backbone of the Australian Navy's fleet, part of the nation's largest peacetime naval investment that also includes 12 new submarines and 12 offshore patrol vessels.
"We are in a world with heightened risks," said Turnbull. "We need to have the capabilities to defend Australia, regardless of what may come."
BAE Systems chief executive Charles Woodburn said the frigate deal "reinforces our position as a leading designer and builder of complex maritime platforms.
"I am proud that our world class anti-submarine warfare design and our approach to transferring technology and skills to the nations in which we work is expected to contribute to the development of an enduring world-class naval shipbuilding industry in Australia," he added.
The deal follows Canberra this week announcing a US$5.2 billion investment to develop and buy high-tech US drones for joint military operations and to monitor waters including the South China Sea.
French naval contractor DCNS has been selected to design and build Australia's new submarines at a cost of Aus$50 billion in Adelaide, beating off competition from Japan and Germany.
UAE Possible Candidate To Host Women's T20 World Cup 2024, Bangladesh Ask For More Time Steve Smith Unsure About Australia T20I Future, Wants Another IPL Opportunity BMW To Recall 1.4 Million Cars In China Over Faulty Airbags Kolkata Rape-Murder: Fractures, 150 mg Semen, Other Claims Denied By Cops Kolkata Rape-Murder: 5 Demands Of Doctors On 24-Hour Nationwide Strike LIVE: CBI Team At Kolkata Hospital For Digital Mapping Of Crime Scene US Supreme Court Keeps Block On Rules Protecting Transgender Students How Rupert Murdoch Helped Create A Monster - The Era Of Trumpism Girl, 14, Raped By School Teacher In UP, Dies After Months Of Treatment Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.