The Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) project was delivered by the AWD Alliance and its partners – ASC as the shipbuilder, Raytheon Australia as the combat systems engineer, the Department of Defence as owner participant, and Navantia as the designer and ship build manager.

Construction on the first AWD commenced at Osborne Naval Shipyard in May 2005, with the third and final AWD delivered to the Commonwealth in February 2020. All three Hobart Class vessels are now in active service for the Royal Australian Navy.

In September 2021, the Commonwealth announced it will invest up to $5.1 billion in upgrades to the Hobart Class Destroyer combat management system upgrades, to be undertaken at Osborne Naval Shipyard from 2025.