Australia invests in advanced maritime weapons, minehunters January 26 The HMAS Arunta fires an Evolved Seasparrow missile off the coast of Western Australia to test its missile systems after undergoing an upgrade via a midlife capability assurance program. (LSIS Ronnie Baltoft/Royal Australian Navy) MELBOURNE, Australia Australia’s defense minister announced initiatives Monday that will fund early development work on a range of advanced guided weapons and new mine countermeasures/hydrographic ships for the Royal Australian Navy. The guided weapons program, to be developed under Project Sea 1300, is part of a 20-year, AU$24 billion (U.S. $19 billion) investment in maritime weapons that will deliver long-range anti-ship missiles, extended-range surface-to-air missiles, advanced lightweight torpedoes and maritime land-strike capabilities to the Navy.