It would be a vessel larger and more heavily armed than the 80-metre, 1,640-tonne Arafura Cass offshore patrol vessels, yet smaller and not as complex as the 146.7-metre, 7,000-tonne Hobart Class destroyers or the 149.9-metre, 8,800-tonnne Hunter Class frigates.

Australia was not alone in facing this challenge of fielding a mix of major surface combatants. Both the US Navy and the British Royal Navy have in recent years commenced programs to develop and field a less-specialised, general purpose vessel that was capable of independent long-range deployments, while also bringing a degree of high-end warfighting capability to broader task groups.The US Navy and Royal Navy were preparing to field the Constellation and Inspiration Class ships, respectively.

Austal welcomed "the findings of the Surface Fleet Review and the Australian Government ’s response to it. ... Austal, and our expert shipbuilding workforce stand ready to build the Tier Two vessels, such as the General Purpose Frigates and Optionally Crewed Vessels, required by the SFR, and will work closely with the Australian Government and the Navy on the designs they choose to fulfil this task. The Heads of Agreement signed with the Commonwealth of Australia in November 2023 to establish a Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement, if ultimately signed, will establish Austal as the Commonwealth’s strategic shipbuilder at Henderson, Western Australia, for all Tier Two vessels.... The Australian Government has assigned the following programs to be built at Henderson:,,, Eight General Purpose Frigates; Six Large Optionally Crewed Surface Vessels..."

Austal, Civmec, and Navantia Australia announced they had partnered to offer the Australian government a proposal to deliver six Tasman Class corvettes. Navantia unveiled a new Tier 2 Tasman Class multi-role corvette at the Indo Pacific 2023 International Maritime Exposition in Sydney in November 2023. The 3,000-tonne design, based on five Alpha 3000 ships ordered by Saudi Arabia, features a crew of 90 with total capacity for 124 personnel, 16 VLS, four quad anti-ship missile launchers, close in weapons systems, and a 57mm main gun. The proposed design included NSM Anti Surface launchers and MK-41 vertical launch system cells, alongside existing Australian payloads, including the Saab 9LV combat management system, the CEA FAR OPVR radar, the newly announced Naval Strike Missiles, and the MH60-R Seahawk helicopter.

Navantia was also offering a heavier 3,700-tonne design, as well as a self-described “big brother” to the current Royal Australian Navy Hobart Class destroyer, the Flight III destroyer. The Tier 1 Flight III design had options for directed energy weapons, 128 VLS, a five-inch millennium main gun. A Navantia spokesperson said all three designs are mature and very detailed, and received enormous interest throughout their exhibition at the Sydney Indo Pacific conference.

On 07 November 2024, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported that the Australian National Security Committee has eliminated proposals from South Korea and Spain from the selection process for the introduction of new frigates for the Australian Navy , leaving only proposals from Japan and Germany to compete for the contract. As part of the Australian Navy's modernization plan, the Australian government was rushing to procure 11 new general-purpose frigates to replace the aging Anzac-class frigates. The four candidates for the contract were the German MEKO A-200 type , the Mogami-class destroyer built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries , South Korea's Daegu-class frigates Batch II and Batch III, and Spain's Navantia ALFA3000.

According to the AFR, several defense industry sources, speaking on condition of anonymity on the night of the 7th, said that the candidates have been narrowed down to ships built by German shipbuilders TKMS and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and that further comparisons will be made before a final decision was made in 2025. Australian defense officials recommended to the government that it reject bids from South Korea's Hanhwa Ocean and Hyundai Heavy Industries, as well as Spain's Navantia, the people said. A formal announcement of the decision was expected in late November, the people said.

On 05 August 2025, the Albanese Government announced that it was accelerating the delivery of a larger and more lethal surface combatant fleet with the selection of the upgraded Japanese Mogami-class frigate as the preferred platform for the Royal Australian Navy's future fleet of general purpose frigates. Following a rigorous and competitive tender process, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Mogami-class frigate was assessed as best able to quickly meet the capability requirements and strategic needs of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The Defence was to then proceed with the next stage of the procurement process with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, with the aim to enter early into binding, commercial contracts with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the government of Japan in 2026.

The Albanese Government's response to the Independent Analysis of Navy's Surface Combatant Fleet outlined that the first three general purpose frigates would be built offshore. This accelerated program will see the first three frigates built in Japan - with the first scheduled to be delivered to Australia in 2029 and operational in 2030. As a result, the Navy would receive its first new surface combatant five years earlier than planned by the former Coalition government. Successful consolidation of the Henderson precinct in Western Australia is expected to enable the remainder of the build to be constructed locally, in line with the Albanese Government's commitment to continuous naval shipbuilding.