Australian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Naval Today said:

As part of a Royal Australian Navy Task Group deployment to North and South East Asia, HMA Ships Arunta, Stuart and Sirius have rendezvoused with the French frigate FNS Vendemiaire in South China Sea.

Following port visits to Zhanjiang, China, by HMA Ships Arunta and Stuart and Da Nang, Vietnam, by HMAS Sirius, the ships have met at sea with the French frigate in international waters off the coast of Vietnam. The navies of Australia and France will work on enhancing their level of interoperability and maritime awareness in the region.

The four ships planned to conduct a series of routine tactical maritime training activities, including ship manoeuvering, flying operations with Arunta’s embarked Seahawk helicopter, a refuelling at sea activity with Sirius and a live firing using close range weapons against a static target.

Training was undertaken yesterday, November 3, before the vessels continued their separate missions.

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Jeff Head said:

HMAS Sirius, AOR
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While I hear there are still difficult details to be ironed out, the United States and Australia appear close to agreeing to regularly fly

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and

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from Darwin and Tindal air base in

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.

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, the

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, told reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast this morning that no decisions had been yet about which bombers would operate from Australia. Robinson’s predecessor,

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that bombers would rotate to and from Australia in July 2013.

The

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have gone on for some time. David Shear, assistant defense secretary for Asian and Pacific affairs, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in May that the U.S. planned to send B-1 bombers to Australia. He clearly jumped the gun a bit as Australian officials were quick to say, not so fast. As with the agreement for US Marines to

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, the two sides have yet to work out all the details. I hear Australia is unhappy that the US wants them to pick up a substantial portion of the bill to pay for our troops while they’re there.

“We’re in the process of deciding on timing of when that will happen,” Robinson said this morning. “So final timing hasn’t happened as we are working our way through all of that.”

Currently, B-1s,

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and B-52s rotate in and out of Guam for Pacific presence operations. Should the US also be able to maintain bombers, at least for routine issues, that would mark a major increase in US regional flexibility. (

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benefit even more from being based near their area of operations).

Robinson spent much of her time with reporters this morning answering questions about the conduct of Chinese pilots and whether the United States has flown Freedom of Navigation operations within the 12 nautical mile limit o

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. Robinson said that the US has not flown within the 12-mile-limit of those islands but has flown FON operations in the region.

She said the Chinese pilots have behaved r

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in the time she has led US air forces in the Pacific. She started work in October last year.

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The Navy is working with the Australian Department of Defence to improve a component of the EA-18G Growler avionics suite to help locate and jam enemy communications.

Under the “AN/ALQ-227/Communications Countermeasures Set Low-Band Geolocation Capability Project Arrangement,” the U.S. and Australia will spend about $8 million each – plus non-monetary contributions such as experts, lab space and test ranges – to develop this particular capability, according to a two-page report sent to Congress in late October.

This research project falls under a 2007 memorandum of understanding between the U.S and Australian defense departments, a 20-year agreement that paves the way for maritime research, development, test, evaluation and prototyping efforts.

In this “Low-band Geo” project arrangement (PA), the two countries will “develop and test an AN/ALQ-227/Communications Countermeasures Set (CCS) approach to real-time Low-band Geolocation using Frequency Difference of Arrival (FDOA), Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), or other techniques. This Low-band Geo PA will also include conducting studies to identify additional cooperative development opportunities directed towards increased capabilities in EA-18G Growler Aircraft avionics subsystems,” according to the memo.

The research addresses several Pentagon requirements, including the Airborne Electronic Attack Operational Requirements Document, the results of a Growler Naval Aviation Requirements Group executive steering committee study, and the Growler program’s own requirements. The project aims to develop “cooperative EA/Electro Magnetic Impulse (EMI) Resistant Connectivity, which includes enhancing full-spectrum, all-aspect AN/ALQ-218/227 precise parametric measurement and geolocation to ensure that the Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) system and other on-board sensors can accurately and rapidly target threats.”

Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division already awarded Raytheon an $11.6 million contract in June to support the ALQ-227 communication countermeasures upgrade, according to the

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. The work is expected to be completed in May 2018 and will be predominately performed in Fort Wayne, the website reported, with the contract covering services for both U.S. and Australian aircraft.

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DCNS today lodged its final deliverables to the Australian Government’s Competitive Evaluation Process to select an International Program partner for the SEA1000 Future Submarine Program.

The proposal includes a Government to Government Agreement from The French Ministère of Defence’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) to the Commonwealth of Australia’s Department of Defence and a binding written commitment on key aspects of the deliverables.

This milestone has been achieved on schedule and marks the beginning of the Commonwealth of Australia’s evaluation phase.

Mr Sean Costello, CEO DCNS Australia, said “DCNS acknowledges the dedication from hundreds of people in France and Australia to the development of the Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A and a sovereign industry in Australia.”

“We have worked as a team to create the best possible solution for Australia’s future.”

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navyreco said:

The French clearly are outsiders in this program

DCNS Delivers its Final Proposal for Australia' SEA1000 Future Submarine Program

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Naval Today said:

Less than one year after its commissioning, HMAS Canberra has conducted its first Replenishment at Sea evolution, in company with HMAS Sirius.

The refuelling evolution was completed as the ships maintained their focus on warfare activities, as a part of Fleet Concentration Period East 15 (FCP East 15).

Commanding Officer of HMAS Canberra, Captain Chris Smith said he believed the two ships to be the largest Royal Australian Navy vessels to have ever undertaken a replenishment at sea together.

The refuelling evolution was a challenge for both the navigation and seamanship teams, as the two ships sailed within 60 metres of each other to complete the fuel transfer.

Canberra is the largest of twelve ships and submarines and three Navy aviation squadrons that are completing task group training during FCP East 15.

The objective of the exercise is to assist in developing a fleet that is capable of multiple ship, Task Group level Joint Expeditionary Operations.

Twelve Royal Australian Navy units are taking part in the Fleet Concentration Period East and Warfare Assessment Week which is taking place in the Tasman Sea.

The exercise is also supported by RAAF and Army assets. A key focus is exercising sea control in a contested maritime battle space. This includes controlling the air, surface, and subsurface, while dealing with threats on land and from mines.

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