Australian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

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Australia picks Raytheon for Aegis integration on Hunter-class frigates
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The Australian defense ministry has selected Raytheon Australia to act as the country’s Aegis systems integration agent.

Defense minister Christopher Pyne announced that the ministry issued a limited request for tender to Raytheon to establish a deed of standing offer under which Raytheon Australia will provide Aegis combat system integration support for up to six years.

The Aegis combat management system is already fitted to the Hobart-class air warfare destroyers and will be fitted to the Hunter-class frigates as well.

“Raytheon Australia will provide defense with their demonstrated expertise for the successful implementation, evolution and continuous development of Aegis combat systems in our current and future surface combatants,” Pyne said.

“Selecting Raytheon Australia for this limited tender will provide workforce continuity and allow Defence to leverage from their recent Aegis experience gained as the Combat System Integrator role for the Hobart Class Destroyers.”

Subject to successful negotiations, the contract should come into effect by mid-2019.

Aegis is an integrated missile guidance system used on US Navy and allied ships to protect the battle group. Using an S-band phased-array radar, the Aegis SPY-1 radar acquires and tracks multiple targets, such as planes and missiles, and defends against them.

Hunter-class program
The Royal Australian Navy’s Hunter-class frigates will be delivered by BAE Systems under a contract from October 2018. The ships will be based on BAE’s Type 26 design and will support anti-submarine warfare, air defense and general-purpose operations.

The project to build a total of nine Aegis-equipped frigates is worth an estimated A$35bn and will replace the existing fleet of Anzac-class frigates. The new frigates will be almost 150 meters long, displace 6,900 tons and carry a 24-cell Mk41 vertical launch system. The Australian frigates will be fitted with CEAFAR 2 phased array radar and the Lockheed Martin-developed AEGIS combat system.

Construction will take at the ASC Shipyard – which will owned by BAE Systems for the duration of the program – and is expected to start in 2020.
 

Hyperwarp

Captain
Loyal Wingman:

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if4t2VG.jpg

6sBOf5C.jpg
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
Since we are posting Vapor ware for the Ausies.

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Pulled these off the Rehinmetall Twitter account. Australia has a requirement for a self propelled under armor mortar. This is a Lynx KF41 rendered with a NEMO 120mm Mortar. cbd96387308330628f259c1ba43fbda08303616d078ecff3ae11bcd1d08dfe02.jpg
They also have a requirement called the Protected Amphibious Vehicle. So a Lynx that is somehow amphibious. It's supposed to be 26 tonnes in this form and no turret. No word on speed or range. But I have my doubts as yet.
 
Feb 11, 2019
Dec 14, 2018
while now
Naval Group clinches $35 billion Australian submarine deal
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and
Design contract for Australian Future Submarine signed
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The Australian defense ministry and French shipbuilder Naval Group have reached another step in the Royal Australian Navy’s Future Submarine program with the signing of the design contract on March 5.

The design contract was signed less than a month after the
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was signed, and just days after the signing of the
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between Naval Group Australia and ASC.

Australian defense minister noted that this is the first deal the Commonwealth and Naval Group are signing under the SPA.

“The detailed architecture for the hull, including the placement of main systems, will be developed under this key contract,” minister Pyne said.

Defense industry minister Linda Reynolds said the contract is worth $605 million and will see design work progress through to 2021.

“The timeframe for the submarine design contract takes into account the detailed design work required, ensuring we have a mature design which avoids costly rework,” minister Reynolds said.

The scope for this phase of work includes the ongoing maturation of the Attack-class design as it progresses into the next design phase known as the definition phase. This will include the source selection of over 100 critical and main equipment that will contribute to the submarine design solution.

The design contract also includes ongoing preparations for the build of the Attack-class in the Osborne shipyard in South Australia, including ongoing support to Australian Naval Infrastructure (ANI) for the design and build of the Submarine Construction Yard and the ICT systems that will be employed in there.
 
it's moderately interesting
Australian Navy gets more out of the Seahawk helicopter than originally planned
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The Royal Australian Navy has managed to integrate the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk naval helicopter with a range of vessels that were not included in the original plans when Australia decided to acquire the type, according to the deputy commander of the RAN’s Fleet Air Arm.

Speaking to media during a visit at the invitation of simulation provider CAE to the naval base at HMAS Albatross, located in Nowra, south of Australia’s largest city Sydney, Capt. Grant O’Loughlan touted the MH-60R’s capabilities and interoperability with U.S. Navy systems, even as the service retains the autonomy to customize the helicopter for its unique needs.

The additional vessels with which the helo is compatible include the RAN’s support ships and the Canberra-class landing helicopter docks used for amphibious operations. O’Loughlan noted that “the range of missions that this helicopter can undertake is significant.”

The diverse mission sets range from maritime domain awareness, electronic warfare, vertical replenishment, and search and rescue thanks to its extensive onboard suite of networked systems in addition to its primary anti-submarine warfare role.

Australia’s decision to keep the capability of its fleet of MH-60Rs, locally known as the Romeo, close to that of the U.S. Navy’s fleet of helicopters has also helped enhance interoperability between the two navies, with Cmdr. Stan Buckham, the commanding officer of the RAN’s 725 Squadron, telling reporters that helicopters from both navies can go out to sea and work together to carry out a mission using common systems and broadly similar tactics and procedures.

The sustainment model the two navies are using for their respective helicopter fleets are also similar. Australia signed up for 10-year agreement with the U.S. Navy in 2018 to support the whole MH-60R system.

Buckham noted that the RAN can plug into the U.S. Navy’s system and access parts from an American ship if needed.

Nevertheless, Australia still sees the need to maintain some autonomy and customization in how it uses its MH-60Rs. Its acquisition program was structured in such a way to allow it to “get a vote” on what new capabilities are added, and the program is similar to how the country structured some other defense acquisitions, such as the
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and Boeing CH-47F Chinook helicopters.

The RAN’s traditional crewing model has also seen it retain the aviation warfare operator in the cockpit of its MH-60Rs. Working as the mission commander alongside the pilot and the sensor operator in the rear cabin, this is in contrast with the U.S. Navy’s crew model of having two pilots in the cockpit, with the pilot with the higher skills category rating serving as the mission commander.

Training also differs in some aspects between the two services. Australia trains with the local environmental conditions and context in mind, focusing on the waters around Australia and the immediate region with its unique thermal layer and water columns.

Australia has a fleet of 24 MH-60Rs, versus the 500 Seahawks of various models in the U.S. inventory, meaning Australian crews spend more time training in the
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.

The RAN operates a fleet of 24 MH-60Rs from Nowra split among two squadrons, with 725 Squadron primarily assigned to training duties while sister unit 816 Squadron handles operational duties. The helicopters were ordered from the United States under the Foreign Military Sales program in 2011 to replace older S-70B Seahawks and were delivered to Australia between 2013 and 2016.
 
Mar 7, 2019
it's moderately interesting
Australian Navy gets more out of the Seahawk helicopter than originally planned
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also moderately interesting is
Australia fast-tracks Romeo helicopter upgrade for third air warfare destroyer
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The Royal Australian Navy’s third Hobart-class air warfare destroyer Sydney is set to enter operations a year earlier than originally planned following an accelerated capability upgrade.

As explained, the defense ministry was able to streamline a technical upgrade to the ship during its build at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia.

“Structural modifications to accommodate the MH-60R ‘Romeo’ helicopter into the Hobart-class were planned to be completed after operational acceptance trials, but an opportunity was identified to bring the aviation upgrade forward,” Australian defense minister Christopher Pyne said.

“The upgrade to the ship’s infrastructure to support the Romeo, the Royal Australian Navy’s next generation maritime combat helicopter, will make it Australia’s most advanced warship.”

the completion of the aviation upgrade during the ship’s build presents significant value for money.

“The opportunity for the AWD Alliance to complete the work while the ship is still in-build is testament to the skill and efficiency of the 400-strong shipbuilding workforce at Osborne,” defense industry minister Linda Reynolds said.

NUSHIP Sydney is the third and final destroyer in the class. The ship was launched in a ceremony on May 19, 2018 and is scheduled to be delivered to the Royal Australian Navy in 2019.

Hobart-class destroyers are built under an AU$9 billion program with ASC as primary shipbuilder and Spanish Navantia as the designer.

The ships are over 140 meters long, have a top speed of more than 28 knots, a range of about 5000 nautical miles and room for more than 200 crew members.

Based on Navantia’s F100 design, the air warfare destroyers are equipped with the Aegis weapon system incorporating the AN/ SPY 1D(V) phased array radar in combination with the SM-2 missile.

The ships will provide an air defense system capable of engaging enemy aircraft and missiles at ranges in excess of 150 kilometers.
 

Brumby

Major
Australian Navy recently tested out integrating the Co-Operative Engagement Capability (CEC), with the USN.

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The enhanced capability of the US and allied navies is coming not just from platforms but from kill web integration.

There is no greater case in point than how the US Navy and the allies are integrating their Aegis destroyers.

Earlier, this year, the Australian Navy demonstrated its ability to integrate with the US Navy with regard to the CEC system.

According to
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in an article published on January 7, 2019:

The tests were conducted in conjunction with the US Navy at the vast Pacific test ranges near Hawaii and off the coast of California, and saw the vessel’s systems and crew challenged in realistic tests and demonstrations. This included testing the vessel’s ability to integrate with US Navy assets via the Co-Operative Engagement Capability (CEC), a US high-end naval networking capability so far made only available to Australia.

“We were presented with some of the world’s toughest and most challenging threats; modern anti-ship missiles, maritime strike aircraft, fighters and high-speed attack craft,” Commanding Officer of HMAS Hobart, CAPT John Stavridis told Navy Today. “On every occasion we successfully defended all threats.”

Part of HMAS Hobart’s systems validation included a series of at sea tests known as Combat System Ship Qualification Trials (CSSQT) which aim to achieve a sustainable level of combat and weapon system readiness.

“This ship represents the future of the Royal Australian Navy’s surface combatants: capable, competent and lethal,” Fleet Commander, RADM Jonathan Mead said upon HMAS Hobart’s return to Sydney. “With her recently commissioned sister ship, HMAS Brisbane, and soon to be delivered NUSHIP Sydney they will be able to defend our Fleet against any threat.”

As part of the increasingly integrated maritime threesome — the US, Australian and Japanese Navies — the Japanese recently added a new platform to the mix.
 
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