Australian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

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Navy's largest ships unable to join Cyclone Debbie emergency response amid engine troubles
Engineers are frantically working to solve engine problems on the Royal Australian Navy's two largest ships, with fears the Landing Helicopter Docks (LHDs) could be out of action for several weeks.

The Canberra Class Amphibious Assault Ships HMAS Canberra and HMAS Adelaide are currently docked at Sydney's Garden Island Naval Base where maintenance crews are trying to identify and resolve issues with the LHDs' azimuth propulsion system.

Defence sources have confirmed to the ABC they currently expect the problem will take between seven and 10 days to address, but if further complications are found, the 27,000-tonne ships could remain sidelined for even longer.

The Defence Force insists the inspections have "had no impact on Navy meeting its operational tasks".

In a statement to the ABC on Monday night the Defence Department confirmed a propulsion issue had been identified on board HMAS Canberra during recent trials with military helicopters.

"As a prudent measure, the same inspections were conducted on HMAS Adelaide and identified emergent issues," it said in a statement.

"It is too early to determine the extent of this emergent work and Defence is working to identify the causes and develop a repair strategy."

Unavailable ships a 'significant failure': Feeney
Federal Opposition MP David Feeney, who sits on Parliament's Joint Standing Committee for Defence, Foreign Affairs and Trade, said it was a worrying development.

"The news that both of our major amphibious ships are unavailable for service in this
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is very, very troubling and represents a significant failure," Mr Feeney said.

"The good news is that the capability gap can be filled by HMAS Choules, a vessel procured by the former Labor government in 2010, but nonetheless these amphibious ships are designed for precisely this work that they're now not able to do."

Mr Feeney demanded the Government provide a full explanation of the problems.

"The Government does need to explain to us precisely what is the engineering problem that they're confronting, how did it happen, and I think, very importantly, will these ships be available for service in Operation Talisman Sabre [in July]."

On Monday, the Chief of Defence, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, said the military was well positioned to provide immediate assistance to local communities within Cyclone Debbie's storm zone, if requested.

"We are ready and able to respond to this emergency in support of civilian emergency authorities and the residents of north-eastern Queensland once the full impact of [Cyclone] Debbie is known," he said.

As a precaution, HMAS Choules — the nominated HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) ship — left Sydney on Monday morning to head to Queensland "to be ready to support recovery efforts if required".
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Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
gosh
Navy's largest ships unable to join Cyclone Debbie emergency response amid engine troubles

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Just like a politician:

Oppostioon Party said:
Federal Opposition MP David Feeney, who sits on Parliament's Joint Standing Committee for Defence, Foreign Affairs and Trade, said it was a worrying development.

"The news that both of our major amphibious ships are unavailable for service in this
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is very, very troubling and represents a significant failure," Mr Feeney said.

"The good news is that the capability gap can be filled by HMAS Choules, a vessel procured by the former Labor government in 2010, but nonetheless these amphibious ships are designed for precisely this work that they're now not able to do."

Mr Feeney demanded the Government provide a full explanation of the problems.
Grandstanding.

These are brand new, high tech vessels, and it will take time for the Australian NAvy to proficiently operate and maintain them.

...and the Australian NAvy will learn it and do it all squared away. But pols look for anything to jump on...and, IMHO, that is what is happening here.
 
now I read KONGSBERG signs contract with Australia to integrate new capability for the Joint Strike Missile
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07.04.2017

Kongsberg Defence Systems (KONGSBERG) has entered into a contract with the Australian Department of Defence worth 150 MNOK for integration of a new capability in the Joint Strike Missile (JSM).

This contract is a result of
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initialized during the visit by Norwegian State Secretary of Defence, Mr. Øystein Bø to Australia in 2015.

JSM is the 5th generation long-range precision strike missile that will be integrated for internal carriage on the F-35. Using a combination of advanced materials, ability to fly low, while following the terrain and using advanced passive seekers, the missile is extremely difficult to detect and stop even for the most advanced countermeasures and defence systems.

The unique state-of-the-art RF-seeker sensor, developed by BAE Systems Australia, will enable JSM to locate targets on the basis of their electronic signature. This will further strengthen the capabilities of JSM for the most challenging scenarios in a modern battlefield.

“We are very pleased that Australia joins the development of JSM by funding the integration of the RF seeker and that we together can increase the JSM capabilities”, says Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence Systems.
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
Australia selects Raytheon for $1.5B ground-based air defense system
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April 10, 2017
SYDNEY — The Australian government on Monday selected U.S.-based defense contractor Raytheon as the sole bidder for a ground-based air defense system contract worth up to AUD $2 billion (U.S. $1.5 billion).

The surface-to-air missile system will replace the country's 30-year-old short-range capability, which is due to be retired by early next decade, Defence Minister Marise Payne said in a statement.

"A modern and integrated ground-based air defense system is needed to protect our deployed forces from increasingly sophisticated air threats, both globally and within our region," Payne said.

Australia, a staunch U.S. ally, last year committed to increase defense spending by nearly AUD $30 billion over the next 10 years at a time when China's economic and military power is growing throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Australia has been streamlining its military tendering process to more quickly acquire equipment. Raytheon Australia will receive a single supplier limited request for tender for the ground-based air defense system by the end of June, the government said.

Raytheon Australia said its proposal was based on the Raytheon/Kongsberg Gruppen ASA National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System in use by seven countries, including the United States, Norway, Finland, Spain and the Netherlands.

"Our solution combines proven U.S. and Norwegian technology and Australian innovation backed by local integration and sustainment capability," said Raytheon Australia Managing Director Michael Ward.
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now I read Components selection ramps up in massive French-Australian submarine deal
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Lockheed Martin will report this summer results of studies for potential suppliers of sonar and other critical systems for Australia’s planned fleet of 12 new attack submarines, said Mike Oliver, program director for the future submarine combat system.

“Lockheed Martin has been conducting trade studies in a number of key areas of the submarine’s design,” he told Defense News. “We are examining all options and will deliver the results of those trade studies in June to the customer.”

Sonar is among the key systems, the company’s program team said.

Australia this time last year picked DCNS to build the future submarine after a tender which pitted the French company against Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, backed by Tokyo.

“The choice of sonar systems and arrays is in the hands of Lockheed Martin,” Marie-Pierre de Bailliencourt, general manager at DCNS, told Defense News.

Canberra in September selected Lockheed as combat system integrator, partnering with DCNS, which will design, build and service a fleet of 12 ocean-going diesel-electric boats. The program is worth AUS$50 billion ($38.1 billion) over some 35 years.

A survey of sonar and other systems marks a first step in a selection process that Thales hopes to win through its Australian subsidiary.

The French electronics company expects to secure more than €1 billion of deals, with €100 million per boat based on sonar systems, electronic warfare and periscopes. A towed sonar array is part of the kit.

A Thales spokesperson declined comment.

Thales in November won a design and pre-production contract to modernize Australia’s six-strong fleet of Collins subs, with upgrades on cylindrical and flank arrays, and onboard processing. Winning that deal was seen as highly promising for work on the future boats.

Lockheed’s June report will lead to a further round of studies to slim down the list of possible suppliers for a competition due next year.

“We expect to issue request for tender in the second quarter of 2018,” Oliver said. Contract award is due in the fourth quarter.

“Lockheed would have a permanent presence, with software integration of the Aegis combat management system,” said Robbin Laird, analyst with consultancy ICSA based in Washington and here. That combat system allows the Australian Navy to be interoperable with the US Navy.

The AUS$50 billion contract, or €34-€35 billion, will include maintenance, port infrastructure, training and other areas, with the remaining amount split 75 percent for the platform and 25 percent for the combat system, said de Bailliencourt, adding that those were rough estimates.

“So that is not AUS$50 billion for DCNS, and paid tomorrow,” she said.

An industry executive said some €20 billion was the core amount, with 75 percent for DCNS and 25 percent for Lockheed.

That budget covers some 30-35 years, with the first of the attack submarines to be launched early in the 2030s, said Didier Husson, DCNS program director. Husson, who regularly flies to Adelaide as the point executive, was one of a five-strong team which started work two years ago, drafting a bid to build the Australian boat. A naval architect and a specialist in export licensing also worked on that team.

A first boat to hit the water is expected in 2031, followed by sea trials with the combat system with the Australian Navy, Husson said.

“Overall, it’s a fairly new submarine,” he said, basing the exterior and hydrodynamics on the French Barracuda nuclear-powered attack boat, but with a different interior as the Australian sub will be conventionally powered.

The design studies, to be done in France, will take years, while the boats will be built in Australia, de Bailliencourt said.

DCNS has picked suppliers for five critical areas, which Australia will certify.

“We have validated with the Commonwealth (of Australia) the five leading suppliers of the first order mainly for the propulsion system and missile launcher,” she said.

Other systems include a battery from an Australian firm, Pacific Machine Battery, which is undergoing certification, and electricity generator.
A further 40 critical suppliers are in the process of selection, followed by 200 important suppliers and standard suppliers. DCNS will look to select Australian firms for the former, but there are not many that fit the requirements, de Bailliencourt said. An option is to pick French firms ready to set up business in Australia and develop there.

A number of Australian companies exhibited at the Euronaval trade show in October, reflecting a fostering of ties on the submarine program.

This will be a year of contracts, de Bailliencourt said, with DCNS hoping to sign a design contract by the end of 2017. There are contracts for building the boats, and design and construction of the Adelaide base.

The contractual framework is being set up between the three partners. DCNS signed in February a bilateral agreement with Lockheed, and in March a trilateral pact binding the French and U.S. firms and Australia.

There are negotiations “with the Commonwealth (of Australia) for a strategic partnership agreement” due to be signed in October, she said. That covers aspects including economic, financial, and intellectual property rights.

It is too early to give figures on procurement as much depended on decisions on design, which is still “work in progress,” she said. Once the design is accepted, equipment and suppliers can be determined.

Around 2021, negotiations are due to start on the contract to build the boats, with construction to begin in 2030, de Bailliencourt said.

As the program picks up pace, some 2,000 direct jobs tied to construction in Australia are due to be maintained or created, as well as a large number of indirect jobs, she said.

The industry executive said the indirect local jobs could be 1,500-2,000.

Australia has set sights on the program as a cornerstone for creating a naval industry, and DCNS will transfer technology by signing over “design authority” to Australia, she said. That would allow Australian engineers to service and modernize over the life of the boats.

Some 50 Australian engineers at Cherbourg, northern France, are working with DCNS, focusing on the technology, which will help them maintain the boats.
interestingly "An industry executive said some €20 billion was the core amount, with 75 percent for DCNS and 25 percent for Lockheed."
 
now I read Defence backs F-35 despite structural and software flaws
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A host of problems are still troubling Australia’s F-35 strike fighter, including structural flaws, software and weapon sight glitches, humidity impacts and even the connectivity of laptops used for maintenance.

The issues are among dozens of problems identified in a US military test and evaluation report about the stealth aircraft — 72 of which Australia has ordered from the US at a cost of about $100 million each.

Defence confirmed earlier this month that some of the issues were yet to be fixed and may not even be resolved until 2022 — two years after the F-35A planes are supposed to achieve initial operating capability in Australia.

However, a spokesman said Defence was confident that “issues identified during development would be suitably addressed”.

The aircraft is being touted as a fifth-generation fighter boasting stealth technology enabling it to avoid radar detection, and extraordinary features that allow pilots to share information with other assets or troops across the battlefield.

But developing the hi-tech aircraft from scratch has proved costly and problematic.

Earlier this year, the US military’s operational test and evaluation director Mike Gilmore released his annual report on the aircraft, finding fault with numerous aspects of its development, including everything from targeting problems to structural joints failing.

One area of concern was the plane’s “electro-optical targeting system”, or EOTS.

The system uses sensors on the aircraft and computers feeding targets to the pilot’s hi-tech helmet visor display.

Dr Gilmore’s report noted that the system was affected by “high humidity”, which caused pilots to have to fly closer to targets than desired. He also stated that the system was “inferior to legacy systems”.

Some of Australia’s F-35As are due to be deployed to the Northern Territory, which experiences high levels of humidity during the wet season from about December to March.

However, Defence says it is not concerned about the issue as enhancements to improve the EOTS performance were planned for delivery in 2022 as part of the “follow-on” modernisation program. The first aircraft in Australia are supposed to be at initial operating capability by 2020.

Other issues identified included pilots complaining about “symbol clutter” on the display of their helmets, relating to air-to-ground gun-strafing aiming.

But Defence said further software development and subsequent flight testing was under way to correct the issue.

There was also a problem with the compartment that holds the F-35A’s gun, said the report.

It said that when the cannon door was opened it impacted on the airflow over the fuselage and led to the aircraft yawing off target. Software changes to flight control laws were required, it said.

A Defence spokesman said “solutions to accommodate the identified yaw were in development” and that “a suitable solution will be delivered”.

Another flaw was the aircraft’s inability to work effectively as a close air support platform with ground troops, said the report.

The report said the aeroplane “does not yet demonstrate equivalent close air support capabilities to those of fourth-generation aircraft”.

Defence said it was confident Australia’s minimum requirements for close air support would be met in 2020, at initial operating capability, with the delivery of Block 3F software.

“Weapon and mission system modifications will deliver enhanced close air support capabilities to the F-35A as planned and endorsed by government at second pass,’’ the spokesman said.

An issue with the aircraft’s structure was also highlighted, noting the joint between the vertical tail and airframe was found to be weakened. The report said that testing as recently as September had found the joint had failed.

The Defence spokesman said while the issue was still under investigation, impact to the F-35A variant which Australia is acquiring “appears to be minimal”. He said should there be an impact to the F-35A then the most likely outcome would be for the plane to be “retrofitted” with a modification to replace the bushings with an alternative material — something that would be expected to be incorporated with other modifications.

The laptops used to plug into the aircraft for maintenance checks were also reported to have problems. Called the Portable Maintenance Aid, the computers are supposed to provide status updates and also control some aircraft functions, such as opening bomb bay doors so cooling can be applied with airconditioners.

Syncing the laptops has proved to be “difficult and time-consuming”, however, with connection only being achieved after a number of attempts, said the report.

It was noted that maintainers had problems with disconnections, failure to synch and software-related problems with the systems.

Defence was confident that upgrades making the fighter fit for service would be in place in time for 2020.

 
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