Frigate project to clock up milestone

Plans to build a fleet of nine anti-submarine warships are set to reach an important milestone.

Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne has announced a tender request for the $35 billion Future Frigates project will be brought forward and released to the shortlisted bidding companies by the end of next week.

It means the government will outline its final requirements.

Three shipbuilders are in the running - the BAE Systems with its Type 26, Fincantieri of Italy with its FREMM and Navantia of Spain with an updated F100.

The winner will be announced in 2018.

They will replace eight Anzac frigates from the mid-2020s, in a project that will create more than 2000 jobs.

"It will create knock-on benefits up and down the supply chain across the country," Mr Pyne told an Australian Strategic Policy Institute dinner overnight.

The European-designed frigates will be built at Osborne in South Australia.

But Mr Pyne has grand plans for the fleet, beyond just making them in Australia.

"We should aspire to not only build the frigates in Australia, but to design them here as well," he said.

"Our aspiration should extend to selling those designs overseas to our allies and regional partners."

Beefing-up Australia's export capacity is one of the minister's main tasks.

Australia ranks fifth in the world for defence imports, but 20th in the world for exports.

"We will strive to reverse those numbers," Mr Pyne said.

The Turnbull government will release a defence export strategy later in 2017.

"Australians - outside the defence and government bubble - need to understand the linkage between national and economic security," Mr Pyne said.