News Story: Aussie warship project to be delayed for two years by local companies - minister

BAE Systems Type 26 Global Combat Ship for SEA 5000

CANBERRA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- A 28-billion-U.S.-dollar Australian warship project could be delayed for two years if local companies are handed the contract, a government minister has warned.

The Future Frigates project will see nine new anti-submarine warfare frigates designed and built to replace Australia's existing Anzac frigate fleet.

The Australian bid to build the ships is being led by South Australia's ASC and Western Australia's Austal but Spain's Navantina, Britain's BAE Systems and Italy's Fincantieri have also been shortlisted for the project.

Despite an initial promise that the ships would be built in Australia, the Defence Department has convinced the government that the Australian-built clause should be "optional" rather than "mandated."

Christopher Pyne, Australia's defence industry minister, said: "Advice from the Department of Defence is that changing the request for tender to mandate a particular shipbuilder would result in a delay of at least two years in the Future Frigates program."

Read the full story at Xinhua

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PacificSentinel: I think people need to remember three things, first of all the project was moved forward by two or three years in the first place, so a two year delay would put it back on the original time table, the second thing is the reason it was moved forward in the first place, which was to build a local shipbuilding industry, so sending the construction overseas defeats the original purpose anyway, the third thing is that the ANZAC class Frigates have just finished an upgrade that should see them more than capable of lasting for an additional 2 years.

News Report: HAL-BAE Starts Most Lethal Upgrade of Hawk Trainers to Combat Aircraft

An Indian Air Force Hawk trainer aircraft (File Photo)

The combat-ready prototype was flown during 2017 Aero India at Bangalore. HAL-BAE is currently integrating indigenous head up display, ring laser gyroscope based inertial navigation system and anti airfield missile with the prototype version to make the aircraft more lethal.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has started manufacturing the combat-ready version of Hawk trainer aircraft under the Indian government's indigenous role change development program. The upgrade is being jointly carried out by original manufacturers HAL and UK's BAE Systems.

Rechristened as Hawk-i, the combat-ready aircraft is capable of carrying the load of up to 3000 kilograms and delivering precise munitions including air-to-air missiles; air-to-surface missiles; air-to-surface rocket and bombs. The platform would provide support to troops into low-level threat zone.

AUS: Testing Completed For New Army Combat Vehicles (LAND 400)

BAE Systems (Patria) AMV35 (Wiki Info)

Testing to support the selection process for the Army’s new Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV) has finished on schedule.

Head Land Systems Division, Major General David Coghlan, congratulated the two shortlisted contenders, Rheinmetall and BAE Systems Australia, who have been involved in the year-long Risk Mitigation Activity (RMA) to help Defence choose the supplier of the new Mounted Combat Reconnaissance Capability.

“The RMA incorporated a test and evaluation program, a series of schedule and contract management workshops to reduce the risk to the LAND 400 contract, and working with defence industry to increase opportunities for Australian industry involvement in the program,” Major General Coghlan said.

“The test and evaluation program assessed the candidate vehicles and their support systems across a wide range of criteria, with a particular focus on protection, lethality and mobility.

News Story: Britain makes pitch for massive Australia warship contract - report

BAE Systems Type 26 for Australia's SEA-5000 program

Britain's defence secretary Wednesday made a strong push to build Australia's next fleet of warships, saying the frigates he proposes are best placed to hunt "Russian and Chinese submarines" amid regional tensions.

Australia earlier this year detailed a massive Aus$89 billion (US$70.4 billion) shipbuilding strategy, including constructing new submarines and frigates, in the nation's largest peacetime naval investment.

Navantia's F-100 Frigate for Australia's SEA-5000 program

The big increase in defence spending comes as Beijing flexes its muscle in the region through a military build-up in the contested South China Sea, and as tensions remain high on the Korean peninsula.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon made the pitch to build the nine frigates as part of a Aus$35 billion project ahead of annual Australia-Britain defence and foreign minister talks in Sydney this week.

Fincantieri's FREMM for Australia's SEA-5000 program

Three designers are vying for the massive contract -- Britain's BAE Systems, Italy's Fincantieri and Spain's Navantia -- which is described by Canberra as currently the world's largest frigate shipbuilding programme of its kind.

"You need in a region that is now as unstable and tense as it is, as you've decided, some anti-submarine hunting capability and the very latest capability," Fallon told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Read the full story at SpaceWar

Think Tank: Sea, air, land and space updates (25-Jul-2017)

International Space Station (Image: Wiki Commons)

Jack Viola, Eliza Chapman, Jacqueline Westermann and Harley Comrie

Sea state

A Chinese flotilla has arrived off Russia for exercises in the Baltic Sea. The Chinese contingent, which conducted live-fire drills in the Mediterranean last week, includes a Type 052D destroyer, a frigate and a support ship. The exercises, dubbed ‘Joint Sea 2017’, will last for a week and be run out of the Russian city of Kaliningrad, an enclave wedged between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. The exercises come amid heightened tensions in the region, and concerns about the defensive capabilities of the Baltic NATO states.

On 22 July, the US commissioned its newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford. The launch was accompanied by great fanfare. However, President Trump had previously voiced concerns about the new electromagnetic aircraft launching system installed on the Gerald R. Ford and planned for the USS John F. Kennedy. The president expressed a preference for the older style steam launchers over the newer electromagnetic launchers.

Closer to home, BAE, a British company bidding for Australia’s SEA 5000 future frigate program, has expressed interest in using an Australian shipyard to take advantage of export opportunities. The steel cutting for HMS Glasgow, the first of BAE’s Type 26 frigates for the Royal Navy, began last weekend.

AUS: Hypersonic flight test a success

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, today congratulated the Defence Science and Technology Group (DST Group) and the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on another successful experimental hypersonic flight at Woomera Test Range.

Minister Payne said the success of these flights takes us one step closer to the realisation of hypersonic flight.

“Hypersonic flight is more than five times the speed of sound and has the potential to revolutionise air travel, making it faster and cheaper to travel around the world and into space,” Minister Payne said.

“There are key military applications of this technology and by understanding hypersonic flight, the Australian Defence Force will be in a better position to respond to future threats.”

AUS: Update on HMAS Canberra and Adelaide

HMAS Adelaide and Canberra (© Australian DoD)

HMA Ships Adelaide and Canberra are due to complete their maintenance period this week after rectification of emergent issues with their propulsion systems.

HMAS Adelaide is due to leave the dry dock at Navy’s Fleet Base East today. Once undocked, HMAS Adelaide will undergo sea trials and a return to its operational capability program over the next few months.

HMAS Canberra completed initial propulsion sea trials in May, which together with advice from industry partners indicates Canberra is able to return to sea on the 29 Jun 17 and will participate in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2017.

News Story: Australia tests combat recon vehicles

Rheinmetall Boxer CRV for LAND 400 Phase 2

by Richard Tomkins

Rival armored vehicles in competition for Australia's LAND 400 Phase 2 program are undergoing test and evaluation assessment, Australian officials said in a press release.

The Australian program for a next-generation combat reconnaissance vehicle will eventually see 225 vehicles procured by the Australian military for a total purchase price of more than $3 billion.

BAE Systems-Patria AMV35 for LAND 400 Phase 2

"The Rheinmetall Boxer CRV and the BAE Systems Australia Patria AMV35 are armored fighting vehicles with vastly improved firepower, protection and mobility than our current fleet," said Australian Minister for Defense Industry Christopher Pyne, who recently witnessed live-fire testing.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Story: Malaysia air force plane goes missing & Malaysia - Two pilots killed in training military plane crash

An Indian Air Force Hawk Trainer Aircraft (File Photo)

Malaysia air force plane goes missing

Kuala Lumpur, (VNA) – Malaysia’s air force said on June 15 that one of its Hawk training aircraft has gone missing. 

The plane took off from a base in Kuantan at around 11 a.m. local time (or 10 a.m. Vietnam time) and lost contact 30 minutes later.

Read the full story at VietnamPlus

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Malaysia: Two pilots killed in training military plane crash

Hanoi (VNA) – The Malaysian Air Force on June 15 announced that two pilots of the missing military aircraft Hawk 108 have died after falling into a swamp in a forest.

Read the full story at VietnamPlus

News Story: Australian Naval Shipbuilders Team Up

Australia's naval shipbuilders Austal and ASC Shipbuilding have agreed to act together to compete for the construction of Australia's Future Frigates program in partnership with the overseas designer yet to be chosen by the government.

“The Austal/ASC Shipbuilding teaming arrangement offers a compelling, low risk, Australian shipbuilding solution for each of the three shortlisted international designers; BAE, Fincantieri and Navantia,” Austal CEO, David Singleton said.

“This partnership will bring Austal’s unparalleled record in aluminium shipbuilding, exports and operational efficiency to combine with ASC Shipbuilding’s expertise in steel warship manufacturing,” he said.

Austal has sold more than 255 ships to 100 customers in 44 countries, including the U.S.

Read the full story at MarEx

News Story: Australia's two new $1.5 billion warships may have design flaws, navy chiefs reveal

HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Canberra (© Australian DoD)

David Wroe

Propulsion problems on two new warships which cost taxpayers $3 billion could be the consequence of fundamental design flaws, navy chiefs have revealed, as they confirmed at least one of the vessels will miss major drills with the US next month.

One of the two ships, the HMAS Adelaide, has been dry-docked at Garden Island in Sydney Harbour so naval engineers and the manufacturers can open up the propeller system and examine whether the problems are as simple as parts being poorly fitted or something deeper.

Chief of Navy Tim Barrett and Rear Admiral Adam Grunsell, head of maritime systems at Defence's capability and sustainment group, acknowledged there could be a design problem, though they stressed it was still being investigated.

Such a fundamental problem would raise the likelihood the ship's overseas manufacturers would bear the cost under warranty.

"Am I disappointed? Yes. We were not expecting to find this,"  Vice Admiral Barrett said in a briefing in Canberra on Friday.

What is known is that oils have seeped into sections in which they don't belong within the external propulsion pods that drive and steer the ship. In the Adelaide, metal particles have also been found in the oil.

Read the full story at Sydney Morning Herald

News Story: Indian army gets first artillery guns from U.S.

NEW DELHI, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Indian Army Thursday received two new artillery gun systems from the United States, local media reports said.

The M-777 ultra-light howitzers arrived in India as part of 145-gun order sealed in a government-to-government deal with the United States for 700 million U.S. dollars.

"The air portable 155 mm, 39-calibre gun will have a maximum range of 30 km and will be used to shore up defenses in high-altitude areas," a report in New Delhi based English news channel NDTV said.

"In all, the military will import 25 M-777s directly from BAE systems, the manufacturer of the guns. The rest will be assembled in India in collaboration with Mahindra Defence Systems," the report added.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Australia prime minister - Shipbuilding plan is 'an end to the boom and bust pattern'

A Hobart class (AWD) Destroyer under-construction at the

Osborne Naval Shipyard (ASC) 

By: Nigel Pittaway

MELBOURNE, Australia – Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull launched Australia's long-awaited naval shipbuilding plan on May 16, including the construction of submarines, frigates and offshore patrol vessels, costing A$89 billion (US $66.12 billion), in Australian shipyards. 

Turnbull launched the shipbuilding program with Defence Minister Marise Payne and Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne at Osborne in South Australia, where the majority of construction work will take place. 

“This is a great national enterprise. This is nation building. This is an end to the boom and bust pattern that we’ve seen with shipbuilding in Australia,” Turnbull said. “This is the largest investment in our defense capability of our Navy ever in peace time.” 

Under the plan, the government will invest in the rolling acquisition of 12 conventionally-powered submarines under Project Sea 1000 (Future Submarine), the continuous build of nine frigates under Project Sea 5000 (Future Frigate) and a follow-on class of surface combats; and a continuous build program for minor naval vessels. 

The minor naval vessels build program is already underway with construction of 19 patrol boats to be gifted to Pacific nations under Project Sea 3036, beginning this year at the Austal facility at Henderson in Western Australia.  This will be followed by the Offshore Patrol Vessel program for the Royal Australian Navy under Sea 1180 from 2018, initially commencing at the Osborne Naval Shipyard and transferring to Henderson in 2020. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: LHDs remain alongside as Defence investigates propulsion issues

The Navy’s two amphibious assault ships HMAS Canberra and HMAS Adelaide remain tied alongside at Fleet Base East, Sydney while Defence investigates issues with the LHDs’ ‘azipod’ azimuth propulsion systems.

The issue first came to public attention almost a month ago on March 29 when ABC defence reporter Andrew Green reported that both vessels were out of service after propulsion issues were discovered with HMAS Canberra while it was undertaking first of class flight trials with Army and Navy helicopters off the coast of Queensland in March.

“During these activities, a propulsion issue was identified aboard HMAS Canberra and she is currently alongside in Sydney being inspected,” Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Tim Barrett wrote on the Defence website on March 28.

“As a prudent measure, the same inspections were conducted on HMAS Adelaide and identified emergent issues.

“Having identified these emergent issues the ADF has put in place a very deliberate plan to investigate the issue and resolve it.”

However, the issues with the azipod systems remain unresolved, with an April 25 news story in the Daily Telegraph by Matthew Benns reporting that “an investigation found maintenance and oil changes were not being done properly”.

This assertion was disputed by Deputy Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Michael Noonan, who wrote a clarifying “On the Record” statement subsequently posted on the Navy Daily website.

Read the full story at ADBR

News Story: Buy America, Again. Sigh

By COLIN CLARK

WASHINGTON: America cannot apply Buy America provisions on a widescale basis and buy the best weapons, no matter how much President Trump and his team may feel otherwise. It’s a simple as that.

All the competitors for the Air Force’s next-generation trainer, the T-X, include enormous amounts of foreign content, some including the aircraft. The biggest weapon system built for the US military, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, includes enormous amounts of foreign content. The F-35’s complex wiring bundles are done by a Dutch company. An Australian company builds vertical tailpieces. BAE, a British and American company, builds major portions of the plane. Check out the graphic below by BAE Systems to see what they do. There’s even a Memorandum of Understanding between Australia, Denmark, Italy, Holland, Norway, Turkey, the UK and the U.S.A about the production, sustainment, and follow-on development of the F-35 that guarantees certain rights to the program’s original partner countries.

As those examples make clear, the world is really too interconnected to put America First in defense trade without harming American interests. American defense supply chains are inextricably tied to Europe, Australia, Japan and South Korea. I don’t mention Canada because it is legally part of the US defense industrial base and is not subject to regulation. It was missed by many, but the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act added Australia and Britain to the US industrial base, so their companies also would not be subject to whatever the review finds. One source familiar with the issue says Britain and Australia were added to fend off the worst effects of a Buy America crackdown that was already being discussed.

Read the full story at Breaking Defense

News Story: UK to promote 'Make in India' policy

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — India and the U.K. have decided to enhance defense ties based on the joint development and production of weapons at Indian facilities under the 'Make In India' policy. This was decided during a meeting here on Thursday between the visiting U.K. secretary of defense, Michael Fallon, and his Indian counterpart, Arun Jaitley. 

"The renewed engagement will place capability and technology development at its core and seek to harness the complementary strengths of both nations in defense manufacturing and use the combined strengths of their respective private and public sectors to develop defense solutions for use in both home and shared export markets," according to a joint statement issued by the Indian Ministry of Defence. 

A senior MoD official pointed out that the two countries are devising a mechanism to identify defense projects that could be jointly developed and produced and even exported; however, no blueprint has yest been crafted. 

The fate of the Advanced Hawk trainer aircraft, for which the state enterprise Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is the prime supplier for wings, avionics and multifunction display systems, is uncertain, as the Indian Air Force has not committed to ordering the aircraft. 

BAE Systems and HAL signed a memorandum of understanding in 2015 to fund the development and production of the trainer with a combat role capability. The aircraft was to be marketed for both the domestic and export market, and it even debuted at the Aero India 2017 show in Bangalore in February. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

Industry: BAE Systems Australia technology in Joint Strike Missile

BAE Systems Australia’s technology is another step closer to being used in the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) being developed for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, following the signing of a contract between the Federal Government and Norway's Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace.

The contract will enable Kongsberg, which is developing the JSM, to continue the integration and qualification of BAE Systems' passive radio frequency (RF) sensor into the system.

BAE Systems is Australia’s specialist manufacturer of missile control and guidance systems. The Company will provide a low-cost, light weight and highly sensitive electronic support measure (ESM) receiver for incorporation on JSM which will feature an additional land attack and littoral attack capability as well as a two-way communications line for target adjustment and inflight termination.

Industry: KONGSBERG signs contract with Australia to integrate new capability for the Joint Strike Missile

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 the agreement reached between the Norwegian and Australian Governments 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.

Kongsberg

News Story: Australia issues tender request for new frigates

Fincantieri design for SEA5000

by Richard Tomkins

Australia issued Friday a Request for Tender to three companies for its $26.82 billion Future Frigate program. The companies shortlisted contract bidders were BAE Systems, Fincantieri and Navantia.

"Today's announcement shows the Government is on track to begin construction of the Future Frigates in 2020 in Adelaide," Defense Minister Christopher Pyne said in a press release. "The release of the RFT is an important part of the Competitive Evaluation Process which will lead to the government announcing the successful designer for the Future Frigates in 2018."

Navantia design for SEA5000

Pyne said evaluation of the responses to the Future Frigate RFT would commence later this year.

Read the full story at SpaceWar

BAE Systems design for SEA5000

Industry: BAE Systems welcomes RFT for Australia’s SEA 5000 Future Frigate Program

CGI of the Type 26 for SEA 5000

BAE Systems has welcomed the release today of the SEA 5000 Request for Tender (RFT) to deliver Future Frigates to the Royal Australian Navy, describing it as a significant milestone in the development of an enduring Sovereign naval shipbuilding enterprise in Australia.

BAE Systems was one of three organisations down-selected to refine their designs for a fleet of nine Future Frigates.

BAE Systems has offered the Commonwealth of Australia the Type 26 Global Combat Ship, recognised today as the world’s leading design for an anti-submarine warship.

The Company is today already working to deliver the Type 26 to the UK’s Royal Navy and is also engaged in bidding for the Canadian Government’s requirement, using the Type 26 design.

BAE Systems Australia Chief Executive, Glynn Phillips said: “We are committed to supporting the development of a sustainable, national shipbuilding and sustainment industry in Australia.

“We look forward to working with the Commonwealth to maximise opportunities for Australian industry, drawing on our existing supply chain and a history of more than 60 years of supporting the Australian Defence Force.”

BAE Systems