The Hunter-class price comparison turns on the condition of the shipbuilding industry. The United States already had a functioning naval construction base, while Australia would have to rebuild capacity to manufacture its frigates domestically. Comparing those prices directly attributes the industrial rebuilding cost to the ship design. In this assessment, building Constellation-class frigates in Australia would incur much the same industrial cost. Building Hunters in Britain would draw on existing facilities, but would give up the domestic construction element.
Notable Point · 2:38:18-2:39:18
Why rebuilding Australian shipbuilding raises Hunter costs
Comparing Australian and American frigate prices without accounting for industrial capacity mistakes infrastructure rebuilding for hull cost.