Defence Today Magazine - June 2015

$

7.95

Volume 11 No 3 - June 2015 - defence-today.com.au

WAR WITH

ISIS

Reshaping Shipbuilding capability in Australia

Global Airlift

10 C-17 Globemasters?

Print Post - 100004497

Battlefield Helos

on upward operational path

DefenceAustralia.

6 - 8 OCTOBER SY D N E Y E X H I B I T I O N C E N T R E @ G L E B E I S L A N D SY D N E Y, A U S T R A L I A

T H E COM M E RC I A L M A R I TI M E A N D N AVA L D E F E N C E S H OWC A S E F O R AU STR A L I A , A S I A A N D T H E I N D O - PAC I F I C

www.pacific2015.com.au Jason Thomas Chris Macfarlane Carly Helweg Bob Wouda 2

defencetoday

T: +61 T: +61 T: +61 T: +61

(0) (0) (0) (0)

3 3 3 3

AUSTRALIAN SALES TEAM

5282 5282 5282 5282

0535 0544 0502 0538

M: +61 (0) 407 369 356 M: +61 (0) 417 011 982

M: +61 (0) 418 143 290

E: jthomas@amda.com.au E: cmacfarlane@amda.com.au E: chelweg@amda.com.au E: bwouda@amda.com.au

CONTENTS managing editor

John Armstrong

business development

creative

David Teitzel

contributing authors

Nigel Pittaway Peter Layton

COVER Australian F/A-18A Hornets release flares in the late afternoon light in the skies over Iraq. The ‘Classic’ Hornets replaced the F/A-18F Super Hornets as part of the continuing air operations against ISIS forces as part of Operation OKRA. (Defence)

Michelle Burt

advertising enquiries +61 (0) 7 3282 9019 DefenceTODAY . vol 11 no 3 . JUNE 2015

published by Strike Publications Pty Ltd PO Box 124 Ipswich 4305 Queensland Australia telephone: +61 (0) 7 3282 9019 facsimile: +61 (0) 7 3812 3233 email: editor@strikepublications.com.au internet: www.defence-today.com.au

FEATURE REPORT 2 A USTRALIA’S WAR AGAINST ISIS FORCES IN IRAQ Continuing operations against ISIS’ gains across Iraq and Syria

ABN 41 010 922 335 Print Post 100004497 ISSN 1447-0446

DEFENCE FOCUS on AUSTRALIAN LAND FORCES

FROM THE EDITOR This edition of DefenceToday concentrates on Land Force capability, including the need to combat ISIS forces. While Australia’s contribution at present is essentially air power, the need eventually will be land force operations.

Dr Peter Layton examines the war on ISIS on two fronts: in Iraq, the US-led coalition is conducting air strikes against ISIS from the country’s north and west; and in Syria, a messy civil war.

The modern combat soldier is expected to carry more and more equipment and weaponry, which can slow mobility and fighting effectiveness. Nigel Pittaway looks at the use of solar power to charge batteries and exoskeletons to enable soldiers to transfer load to the ground and provide increased strength and mobility.

The Australian Army’s Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter and MRH90 battlefield helicopter have not met expectations in terms of availability for operations and flying hours targets. Nigel Pittaway examines the outcomes of remediation programs that are bringing the rotary wing types back on track.

Australia’s Air Warfare Destroyer program has been fraught with delays and cost overruns, leading many to question whether Australia should indeed be in the shipbuilding industry. Peter Layton describes how a relatively small national industry is reshaping to obtain ongoing work for future programs.

The delivery of the first two CH-47F Chinook helicopters to the Australian Army some months ago has brought an updated capability to Land Force operations. Nigel Pittaway looks at the enhancements of this new type and how it fits with the Army’s battlefield strategies.

Australia’s C-17A Globemaster III airlifters have served with distinction since the first four aircraft entered service in 2006.

Operations into the Middle East and increased humanitarian missions led to orders for two more and, more recently, an order for another two. Nigel Pittaway looks at the impressive capabilites of the C-17 and why the fleet could become 10.

The $10 billion LAND 400 program to replace the Army’s armoured vehicles has industry wondering what Defence really wants. Nigel Pittaway examines the industy quandary.

9 S OLAR-POWERED SOLDIERS AND EXOSKELETONS Enabling soldiers to carry less weight and transfer load off their backs - Peter Layton, Canberra 10 B ATTLEFIELD HELICOPTERS ON UPWARD OPERATIONAL PATH MRH90 Taipan and Tiger ARH coming our of remediation programs - Nigel Pittaway, Melbourne 16 R ESHAPING AUSTRALIA’S WARSHIP & SUBMARINE INDUSTRY Can Australia sustain a shipbuilding industry in three States - Peter Layton, Canberra 20 A RMY’S ROTARY WING CAPABILITY ENHANCED WITH CH-47F 5th Aviation Regiment takes delivery of first Chinook ‘F’ models - Nigel Pittaway, Melbourne 24 S TRATEGIC AIRLIFT GROWTH TO MEET FUTURE TASKING Fleet of C-17A Globemaster III aircraft may increase to 10 airframes - Nigel Pittaway, Melbourne 28 D EFENCE CONFUSES LAND 400 PRIME CONTRACTORS Questions about $10 billion program to replace armoured fleet - Nigel Pittaway, Melbourne

John Armstrong

Managing Editor

defencetoday

13

DefenceAustralia.

Australia’s war against ISIS forces in Iraq

Peter Layton An F/A-18F Super Hornet prepares to refuel from a United States Air Force KC-10A tanker aircraft mid-air as the sun sets over Iraq.

(Defence)

The war against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) continues.

Over the past year, the group has captured substantial territory across Iraq and Syria, creating a self-declared caliphate titled ‘The Islamic State’.

ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, now rules over some six million people. In recent times no other armed non-state group has been as successful. There are two separate wars being waged against ISIS. In Syria, the remnants of the national armed forces are allied with Lebanon’s Hezbollah in fighting a no-holds barred war against ISIS and several other insurgency groups.

Convoy of ISIS forces on the move in Iraq.

2

defencetoday

In Iraq, the elected Iraqi government assisted

by Iran and a US-led coalition are trying to eject ISIS from the country’s north and west.

Syria is a confused and messy civil war but Iraq is subtly different, being seemingly a war to repel an armed intervention from across the Syrian border. It is in Iraq that Western nations feel most compelled to assist, partly because of Iraq’s recent history but also because the ISIS threat here is more clear cut.

Accordingly, it is in Iraq that Australia finds itself engaged in its latest war.

The ISIS Foe The origins of ISIS can be traced back to Abu Mus`ab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian of the Sunni branch of the Islamic faith. Al-Zarqawi joined al-Qaeda while fighting in the Afghanistan War and on return to Jordan formed a terrorist group intent on overthrowing its

government. With the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, al-Zarqawi transformed his group into al-Qaeda in Iraq and focused on inciting sectarian violence, frequently attacking minority Shia Muslim mosques and religious gatherings. The group steadily developed a reputation - that ISIS continues - for well organised, multiple suicide attacks, the use of foreign fighters and well publicised brutality, which includes beheadings.

In response, the US adopted a new approach: the use of special operations forces that closely integrate intelligence and operations in an “industrial strength” campaign (see the December 2013 Defence Today).

This campaign commanded by General Stanley McChrystal proved highly successful, with Al-Zarqawi being killed in a US Air Force air strike in 2006. The group only just survived, becoming inactive until the

boeing.com.au

ENDURING FORCE

Strike Mobility Surveillance and Engagement Missiles

defencetoday

3

DefenceAustralia. departure of US forces from Iraq, then in 2013 changing its name to ISIS. ISIS today is much more than a ramshackle terrorist group, as it began, and as are most similar groups. It is now a highly regimented organization with a centralized command and control system. Skilled, central planners devise long-term campaigns that are then implemented in a decentralised manner by experienced regional commanders responding to the local conditions. This focus on organisation means that ISIS has been able to achieve astonishing results using comparatively small armed forces. In late 2014, General James Austin, Commander US Central Command, estimated that the group probably only had some 9,00017,000 committed front-line combat fighters operating in Iraq.

ISIS typically uses a methodical approach to achieve tactical success. Initially, ISIS covert operators enter an area to determine the local tribal, political, social and security structure.

Those identified as important local leaders and experienced security personnel are then assassinated, subverted or forced to flee after threats to their families. Others who may be supportive of the government are noted, for retribution later when ISIS takes control.

Having prepared the battlefield, the group then employs well-coordinated car bomb and suicide attacks to panic the defenders who are by now operating within a badly weakened command and leadership structure. These attacks can include swarms of semi-armoured vehicles driven by suicide bombers able to precisely target government strong-points. Closely timed with these attacks, a mass infantry assault is then usually undertaken aiming to quickly overwhelm the defenders through shock action. ISIS however occasionally now also uses captured Iraqi tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery in combined arms actions. ISIS’s tactics are highly effective and in sowing fear and panic amongst the defending forces have

An Australian C-17 Globemaster touches down at Tarin Kowt to resupply soldiers deployed with the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force-Two (MRTF-2). (Defence)

allowed the group to capture large areas with relatively little fighting.

Having taken an area, the focus shifts to religious administration matters and quietly eliminating any opposition. In this phase ISIS exploits deep grievances among the Sunni population to gain support for its agenda. In Iraq, many Sunnis consider the government both discriminates against them and represents a threat through its use of armed Shia militias. As their control deepens, ISIS begins to actively drive out those who do not wish to embrace its ideas. Non-Muslims and heretics are initially warned to leave, then strategically targeted with steadily escalating violence including large-scale kidnapping, murder sprees and car bombings that intensify over several weeks. ISIS also cuts off water and power supplies to such groups to further encourage their departure.

A major feature of ISIS has been its highly successful mobilization of foreign supporters to travel to Iraq to join it. These foreign fighters are effectively acting as a strategic reserve, allowing the group to continuously replenish its ranks with fresh, well-motivated volunteers. The Iraqi Prime Minister recently estimated some 58 per cent of ISIS’s fighters – now about 14,000 across both Iraq and

F/A18F Super Hornet aircrew walk to their aircraft for another combat mission over Iraq. (Defence)

‘

Initially, ISIS covert operators enter an area to determine the local tribal, political, social and security structure.

Those identified as important local leaders and experienced security personnel are then assassinated, subverted or forced to flee after threats to their families. Others who may be supportive of the government are noted, for retribution later when ISIS takes control. .’

’

Pilot of a RAAF KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport positions for the first hookup via the Aerial Refuelling Boom System on another KC-30A aircraft. (Defence)

4

defencetoday

F/A-18A Hornet pilot on combat air patrol over Iraq.

(Defence)

SUPERIOR AIR POWER DEPENDS ON PROVEN TRAINING

Australia’s military pilots answer the call for any mission, no matter how challenging. Team 21 supports this mission, offering an efficient, modern pilot training system that’s already delivering exceptional performance in Australia. Team 21—the right choice for training, to enable Australia’s air power today and tomorrow.

www.lockheedmartin.com/team21

defencetoday

5

DefenceAustralia.

Australian aircraft assigned to the Air Task Group deployed to Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE fly in formation: KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport, three F/A-18F Super Hornets and an E-7A ‘Wedgetail’ Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft. (Defence)

Syria – are foreigners. Some 70 per cent are from the Middle East but there are also some hundreds of British, French, Belgian, Dutch, and Australian nationals.

ISIS has also proved adept at using social media to direct its global followers. In late 2014 ISIS spokesman, Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, urged these followers to attack citizens of member countries of the international coalition opposing ISIS wherever they were and by whatever means possible. Senator Mike Roger, chairman of the US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence observed that the ISIS message to its supporters is, “ We want you to randomly kidnap people off the street, behead them, videotape it, send it to use for further propaganda.” ISIS foreign fighter Abu Salman al-Faranci says the intent is to “terrorise…and…not allow [those in their home countries] to sleep due to fear and horror.”

Australia’s Three-Front War ISIS has taken the strategies and tactics used by earlier terrorist groups and developed them further. The group now represents a threat to states like Australia across three domains: the local, the international and the global. A state must now act to prevent ISIS supporters attacking it and providing material support, including sending fighters to the Iraqi warzone. Second, states must also extend this concern to other countries across the globe where attacks on their interests may occur or material support for ISIS may be provided from. Third, to ultimately defeat ISIS, countries must now deploy their armed forces into the Middle East to directly confront it. ISIS may not pose as large-scale

6

defencetoday

threat as a hostile nation but it does pose a terrorism position has been established complex one. to coordinate across all departments and For Australia the domestic challenge has agencies. been especially vexing. There has been In the second domain of international action, a sharp ramping up of domestic security Australia has been active in international in the face of threats of ISIS sympathisers forums, focusing on stopping the flow of undertaking terrorist actions here. The money and foreign fighters to ISIS. In late dangers were graphically demonstrated in 2014 Australia, while still part of the UN the Lindt cafe terrorist siege that killed three Security Council, successfully pushed for including the ISIS-inspired perpetrator, Man UN Resolution 2178 that sought to stem Haron Monis. While Australia previously foreign terrorist fighters and their financing. was concerned about domestic terrorism In early June at the 22-nation Paris Summit emanating from the Al-Qaeda group, the ISIS- the Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, advocated inspired domestic threat is of much greater international action to further impede ISIS magnitude, sophistication and effectiveness. finances and prevent its influence spreading.

In response, the Australian government has In mid-June, a large regional Countering taken a number of measures.

The 2015 budget included an additional A$1.2bn for strengthening counterterrorist activities.

The capabilities of the Australian domestic security agencies including the Australian Federal Police are being improved, and several agencies expanded. New laws on meta-data retention have been passed requiring Internet and mobile phone providers to keep electronic records of customer’s use of their telecommunication services for two years. Travel restrictions have been placed on Australians travelling to Iraq and those who have been ISIS fighters now face arrest Front view of the E-7A ‘Wedgetail’ Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft if they return. Lastly, a new showing the Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array radar antenna. senior overarching counter- (Defence)

Violent Extremism summit was held in Sydney, involving some 30 nations and focusing on preventing ISIS exploiting the Internet to recruit foreign fighters.

In the third domain of fighting ISIS on its home territory, Australia is now deeply involved through two interlocking ADF operations. Operation Okra concerns combat operations against ISIS forces and has some 900 ADF personnel involved. Operation Accordion provides logistic support to Okra and involves some 400 ADF personnel conducting multiple activities including managing ADF air transport operations to, from and within the Middle East region.

In this, the RAAF component of Operation Accordion, the Combat Support Unit, has

been involved in these tasks since 2003 and is the ADF unit with the longest continuing presence in the Middle East.

Operation Okra comprises three elements: Air Task Group (ATG), the Special Operations Task Group and Task Group Taji. The ATG deployed on 1 October 2014, flying their first armed combat missions over Iraq on 5

Aircrews brief before a combat mission against ISIS forces in Iraq. (Defence)

Two fully-armed F/A-18A Hornets on combat air patrol over Iraq pull away after refuelling from a RAAF KC-30A tanker.

(Defence)

October and conducting their first airstrikes on 8 October. The Group operates six strike aircraft, an E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft and a KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft. The strike aircraft were initially six F/A-18F Super Hornets from 1 Squadron at RAAF Amberley but these were replaced with six F-18A

Multi-Mission Night Vision

White light tolerant Environment cooperative Extended sensitivity spectrum to operate in all field conditions (desert to forest, mountain to sea) l Unrivalled image by night level 5 (overcast starlight) l Black & White Image ONYX Night Vision l Auto-Gating for Operations in highly dynamic light conditions l Smallest Halo for improved Identification l

www.photonis.com

defencetoday

7

DefenceAustralia.

A Royal Air Force GR4 Tornado over the Middle East Region after air to air refuelling from a KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport. (Defence)

‘classic’ Hornets from 75 Squadron at RAAF Williamtown in late March 2015.

During their almost seven months of continuous combat air operations, the Super Hornets flew more than 3300 air combat hours.

This was a remarkable accomplishment from just six aircraft, being more than the annual flying rate of a home-based Super Hornet squadron with 12 aircraft. Also remarkable was the maintenance effort, which saw no sorties lost due to unserviceability. In their 416 combat missions, the Super Hornets dropped some 268 guided weapons. Appraising the air effort, the ATG Commander Air Commodore Braz observed that: “When the ATG arrived in theatre, ISIS were on the march throughout Iraq and were brazenly terrorising the Iraqi population. Thanks to the air strikes, ISIS no longer feels able to move openly on the roads, nor are they able to mass troops as they did before.”

The six ‘classic’ Hornets deployed to the Middle East early March then undertook familiarization training before formally taking over strike operations on 27 March. By the end of May they about 1100 hours were flown in some 146 sorties that dropped 84 guided bombs.

The Super Hornet and Hornet sorties range deep into northern and western Iraq in their attacks on ISIS held areas. This involves transits both ways of more than 1700kms making air-to-air refuelling from either the ATG’s own KC-30A tanker or other coalition tankers essential on every mission. In this role, the KC-30A has been particularly busy flying about 35 sorties a month for an average of

A French Air Force Rafale C completes refuelling from a RAAF KC-30A MRTT aircraft over Iraq. (Defence)

about 250 hours monthly. So far the KC-30A has only been using its probe and drogue refuelling system but, with recent successful trails at RAAF Amberley, the boom system will shortly be certified for use with the ATG’s Wedgetail aircraft.

The ATG’s Wedgetail aircraft was initially flying about 15 missions a month but since February this has reduced to about 9 missions each month. These can be long missions though, including two of some 16 hours that required air-to-air refuelling by USAF KC-135 taker aircraft. The Wedgetail’s combat support flights have involved controlling up to 80 aircraft a mission and allowed the RAAF to declare the aircraft fully operationally capable.

The initial ground deployments into Iraq involved the Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) that from late 2014 has focused on providing military advice and assistance to the Counter-Terrorism Service of the Iraqi Security Forces. This involves training Iraqis in urban combat, close quarter battle skills, countering improvised explosive devices, counter-sniping, medical skills and counter terrorism operations planning. Some 200 personnel are currently assigned to the SOTG, expected to draw down fromlater this year.

The third element of Okra, Task Group Taji (TG Taji) is a combined Australian-New Zealand training force deployed for at least two years to the Taji Military Complex northwest of Baghdad. TG Taji became fully operational in May and is involved in training Iraqi Army personnel from the individual soldier through to the brigade level as part of the larger Building Partner Capacity international training mission. The Task Group consists of some 300 ADF personnel drawn mainly from the Brisbane-based 7th Brigade and about 110 New Zealand Defence Force personnel. TG Taji comprises a mix of trainers, force protection, support and command elements.

TG Taji faces a number of

challenges. The Iraqi Army has at times performed poorly on the battlefield with some small ISIS elements defeating much larger and better-equipped Iraqi Army units.

This has lead some to argue that the TG’s soldiers should accompany Iraqi forces into battle to provide not only advice but also to direct coalition close air support air strikes when necessary. This would be a similar approach to that Special Forces used in assisting Afghan forces to defeat the Taliban in 2001.

Complicating matters is that the kind of new Iraqi Army that the international effort wishes to build is a more inclusive one that includes both Shias and Sunnis. This is to overcome the fears held by many Sunnis in ISIS held towns that the Iraqi Army is Shia dominated and may wage a sectarian conflict against them if it recaptures these areas. This task is made more difficult given Iran is backing Shia militia groups, equipping them and providing Special Force advisers. Lastly, there is a real danger of insider attacks, and not just from ISIS supporters. US Brigadier General Kurt Crytzer recently noted concerns about Iranian-fuelled rumours that coalition forces are secretly helping ISIS. These rumours led to American helicopters being shot at by the Iraqi Army and may encourage insider attacks.

ISIS is proving a hard enemy to defeat and this means that Operation Okra is likely to continue for several more years.

The Australian government is envisaging forces will be deployed for the next five years at least. Already the RAAF is planning to replace the Hornet aircraft currently in theatre with another six Super Hornet aircraft, probably in August, and then continuing with a Hornet/ Super Hornet rotation cycle indefinitely after that. Accompanying this there may be further a further expansion of Australia’s domestic security agencies and new anti-ISIS laws along with an additional push internationally to contain ISIS and limit its influence. Australia’s war against ISIS is proving difficult, complex and protracted.

Dr Peter Layton is a Visiting Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University.

An Australian soldier of the combined Australian and New Zealand Task Group Taji instructs Iraqi soldiers at the the Taji Military Complex northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. (Defence)

8

defencetoday

Solar-powered soldiers and exoskeletons

Nigel Pittaway, Melbourne

Today’s combat infantryman is required to carry body armour, a pack, load carriage webbing, radios/ batteries, and weapons, so it’s no surprise that the average weight of a fully-equipped ‘Digger’ is in the vicinity of 150 kg.

The Soldier Integrated Power System (SIPS) aims to reduce the number of batteries, and therefore the weight born by the combat infantryman. SIPS is developed

by Tectonica Australia in partnership with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Australian National University (ANU) under DSTO’s Capability and Technology Demonstrator (CTD) programme.

The second innovation is a relatively inexpensive passive non-rigid exoskeleton (NoREx) being developed by DSTO to transfer much of the weight of a soldier’s backpack directly to the ground rather than via his knees or ankles.

The Solar-Powered Soldier The Capability Technology Demonstrator (CTD) programme, managed by DSTO, is a collaborative activity between Defence and industry where ideas can be funded for further development. The Soldier Integrated Power System completed its CTD phase in September last year and is now ready to be taken to market by industry.

Tectonica, in collaboration with the CSIRO and ANU entered the CTD programme with SIPS in August 2011, when it was awarded funding to develop and demonstrate an integrated power system which improved soldiers’ mobility and endurance.

SIPS utilises flexible and lightweight ‘Sliver’

solar cells attached to the load-carrying webbing on the torso of the soldier. The cells are used with mobile electronic devices and can also be mounted on every-day items such as a mobile phone case.

The system also incorporates a Tectonica power management system to power equipment such as personal and section radios, helmet-mounted night vision equipment and weapons thermal sights carried by a soldier. TPower usage and power levels remaining are monitored, and power can be distributed throughout a section of soldiers via a USB-like cable, which allows soldiers to plug into the SIPS of a colleague if required.

The system integrates with the soldier’s load carriage webbing using conductive pathways through the fabric developed by the CSIRO and called E-textile.

Testing by soldiers at Edinburgh Barracks in South Australia, included patrols of up to 72 hours’ duration. The testing also revealed no detectable thermal or electromagnetic radiation signature.

NoREx – sharing the load The Non-Rigid Exoskeleton (NoREx), or ‘Flexoskeleton’ uses a system of Bowden ‘push-pull’ cables to transfer the weight of a combat soldier’s backpack to the ground.

Developed in-house by DSTO, the flexible Bowden cables connects the soldier’s backpack via his load-carriage webbing to a specially designed overshoe, which transfers a large portion of the weight to the ground.

The cables are attached to the soldier’s legs

by Velcro tape and the entire system can be removed in approximately five seconds.

There have been exoskeletons developed and tested overseas, but the majority are rigid and powered which, according to DSTO are complex, difficult to use and also increase the wearer’s power requirements.

DSTO claims that NoREx eliminates many of the problems associated with the powered exoskeletons because it matches and mimics a user’s anthropometry and their multidimensional movements’.

The ‘flexoskeleton’ transfers more than sixty per cent of the weight of a soldier’s backpack to the ground. For a 50kg pack the burden carried by the soldier is only 15 kg.

The NoREx unit is still a concept technology demonstrator but it has already been tested at weights of up to 32 kg. DSTO has a patent pending on the system and is looking to sponsor further development work, with a view to the production of a working prototype DSTO says that commercial opportunities in the Australian and international defence

plus civilian leisure industries will be offered to ‘the right commercial partner’. Concept discussions with industry have already occurred and DSTO says the system could be in commercial production in a few years.

With an estimated cost per unit of between $2000 and $3000 region, the NoREx could provide a very cost-effective means of reducing fatigue and injury to Australia’s combat soldiers.

DSTO Partnerships The Soldier Integrated Power System and NoREx were just two of the developments on display at DSTO’s facility in Edinburgh, during Partnership Week. The event will most probably become a regular event and is designed to foster closer ties with industry and academia as part of DSTOs Outreach initiative.

“Strategic alliances are the way forward in developing Australia’s future, cutting edge technologies. Partnerships Week will establish new discussions, as well as continue existing ones,” said Chief Defence Scientist Dr Alex Zelinsky. “Partnerships, collaboration and innovation are the cornerstones of the capabilities we want to achieve for defence and national security.”

Above: An Australian soldier wears flexible, lightweight ‘Sliver’ solar cells on his webbing, to charge batteries.

Below: Non-Rigid Exoskeleton, or ‘Flexoskeleton’, transfers load to the ground, reducing weight carried.

defencetoday

9

DefenceAustralia.

Battlefield helicopters on upward operational path

Tiger ARH A38-001 performing a jettison of its Counter Measure Dispensing System at the Port Wakefield proving ground. (Defence)

Nigel Pittaway, Melbourne

Despite a difficult operational development phase, the Australian Army’s Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) and MRH 90 Taipan Multi-Role Helicopter (MRH) are now coming out of remediation programmes put in place by the Commonwealth and industry.

The Taipan, also operated in the maritime support helicopter role by the Royal Australian Navy, has experienced similar issues.

Both helicopter types are expected to achieve a number of significant milestones over the next twelve months or so, as sustainment and reliability problems (both helicopters) and technical issues (Taipan) continue to require remediation.

Senior Defence officials now consider both helicopters to be on an upwards trajectory towards operational goals. However, this has taken an inordinate amount of time, considering that the Tiger has been in service in Australia for more than 10 years and the

Taipan since December 2007.

The Tiger is expected to achieve its Final Operational Capability (FOC) milestone early next year, and there are operational milestones in the pipeline for both Army and Navy’s Taipans.

Tiger Rate of Effort In the 2013-14 financial year, the Army’s fleet of 22 Tigers had only achieved 3000 flying hours, just half the mature Rate of Effort required. Such was the level of concern, doubts were voiced in Canberra over the longterm viability of the armed reconnaissance rotary-wing capability.

With a Tiger Capability Assurance Programme (CAP) upgrade planned in the next decade, this poor operational performance required urgent remedial action if the project was to go ahead in any form.

Although there were several factors contributing to the poor Rate of Effort, one major concern related to sustainment arrangements for the helicopter, such as the length of time taken for repairable components to be returned from Europe after overhaul. In some cases components took more than a year to re-enter Army’s supply system; together with other sustainment shortcomings this logistics delay significantly contributed to the cost of ownership of Tiger.

By mid-2014 this cost of ownership had become unacceptable, and was well in excess of the comparable cost for other ADF helicopters, including the Army’s Black Hawk MRH 90 Taipan from the 5th Aviation Regiment depart an airstrip with soldiers from 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) on board. (Defence)

10 defencetoday

defencetoday

11

DefenceAustralia.

Aircraft Research and Development Unit carries out E2660 Hellfire Acceptance Testing for Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) Tiger at Woomera. (Defence)

and Chinook types along with the Navy’s Seahawks. By way of example, senior Defence officials identified the Tiger’s Turbomeca MTR 390 engine as having the highest cost of any helicopter engine in the ADF.

Remediating the Tiger Reacting to the Commonwealth’s concerns, Airbus Group Australia Pacific (formerly Australian Aerospace) and Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter) and their suppliers last year formed a ‘Tiger Task Force’ to investigate ways of remediating the supply chain issues.

In addition, the Commonwealth and AGAP signed a Viability Review Deed of Agreement (VR Deed) last December, aimed at capping the cost of ownership and, over time, doubling the Rate of Effort.

With the costs capped and the flying rate doubled, the cost of ownership is then effectively halved, bringing the Tiger ARH

into line with other ADF helicopters.

The VR Deed is based upon a similar agreement to remediate the Taipan a couple of years ago and sees AGAP remunerated for the number of hours flown by the Tiger.

The goal is to incrementally increase flying to around 4000 hours by the end of this financial year, and then further increase it by another thousand over each of the next two years until. In the 2016-17 financial year, the full 6000 hour Rate of Effort is expected to be achieved.

“We’re seeing the Rate of Effort getting better every day; the new contractual arrangements have been in place since the beginning of this year and it’s on an upward trajectory,” said Brigadier Andrew Mathewson, DMO’s Director General Army Aviation Systems. “We want to see the Rate of Effort continue to improve over the next year and a half before we declare victory though.

An MRH90 battlefield helicopter lands on the deck of a ship during flight trials. (Defence)

12 defencetoday

“But the signs are very positive and the level of engagement we are getting from industry, both AGAP here in Australia and their parent Airbus Helicopters in France has been quite remarkable.”

With the spares availability problem now on the way towards resolution, attention now turns towards remediation of reliability issues and, beyond that, maintainability in the harsh Northern Territory climate.

BRIG Mathewson said that Army is now working with AGAP to open a third Tiger deeper maintenance line in Darwin, which would allow some work currently performed by uniformed personnel to be undertaken by the civilian workforce. The company presently has two lines in operation.

“It will also expose our soldiers to those deeper level technical experiences by working with the civilian team,” he said.

“It’s one way of remediating the next step,

Tiger ARH being tied down onboard a C-17A aircraft.

You don’t have an ordinary life. And when it comes to buying a home, you’re no ordinary purchaser.

ADCU DHOAS home loans provide special features that are tailored to suit your life and commitments. Find out more from a Mobile Banker today.

adcu.com.au | 1300 23 46 27 Image courtesy of the Department of Defence. Terms, conditions, fees, charges and lending criteria apply. Visit www.adcu.com.au/dhoas for more details. Australian Defence Credit Union Limited ABN 48 087 649 741 AFSL No. and Australian credit licence number 237 988.

defencetoday

13

DefenceAustralia.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) board MRH 90 Taipan aircraft from the 5th Aviation Regiment at the conclusion of a Defence exercise. (Defence)

because once we have all the parts and reliability issues solved we know that we need to have a maintenance system that works more effectively up in Darwin.”

Final Operational Capability

‘

Many of the technical challenges have been overcome but others remain, which may affect the timetable looking forward. One is the testing of the Electronic Warfare Self Protection (EWSP) system on both helicopters, which has proven more challenging than hoped.

’

Brigadier Mathewson said the major milestone for Tiger was the declaration of Final Operational Capability (FOC), which is expected to occur early next year.

“The Army capacity in Darwin is growing and they have now stood up No 162 Reconnaissance Squadron, which is the second squadron within the 1st Aviation Regiment based at Robertson Barracks,” he noted.

“They remain on track at this point in time to go to their FOC milestone early next year, which is represented by both squadrons being declared fully operational in Darwin.”

Interim Tactical Datalink In operational service the Tiger ARH is considered by Army to be a formidable weapons system but its Achilles Heel is arguably that in its original configuration it cannot share information with other networks, including the Army’s Battlefield

Management System (BMS) being rolled out through a group of projects known as Land 200.

Land 200 is made up of elements of Land Projects 75, 125 and 2072, aimed at digitising the modern Army. Elbit is the prime for the installation of the BMS in Army’s fleet of ground vehicles.

Although Tiger was delivered with the Eurogrid datalink system, which is effective for sharing data between Tigers and between Tiger and its ground station, it cannot ‘plug in’ to the Land 200 BMS. To remedy this shortcoming an interim Tactical Data Link (iTDL) which introduces a new Enhanced Position Location Reporting System (EPLRS) radio, GPS and a cockpitmounted tablet will shortly be trialled under operational conditions.

Funded by Joint Project 2089 Phase 3B, 21 of the 22 aircraft are being modified under a co-operative agreement between the Army, DMO, AGAP and Elbit (one Tiger being permanently fitted with flight test instrumentation and will not be modified to support iTDL. The first four iTDL aircraft are due to be trialled in a multiple helicopter scenario during Exercise Hamel in July.

An MRH 90 Helicopter on the flight deck of HMAS Choules for a casualty evacuation exercise during Exercise Sea Dawn 2014. (Defence)

14 defencetoday

“The tablet is mounted in the cockpit but the iTDL is a stand-alone system and not integrated into the aircraft system,” BRIG Mathewson said.

“It’s a really neat programme that demonstrates we can get the industry elements working together to produce an outcome that Army requires.”

A fully integrated TDL will be considered by the Tiger CAP programme.

MRH 90 Milestones The MRH 90 Taipan battlefield helicopter is a less mature platform than Tiger, and there has been the added distraction of a number of technical issues to resolve, some of which are ongoing today.

However, this helicopter too has required remediation agreements between the Commonwealth and AGAP and last year recorded a 44 per cent increase in its Rate of Effort across Army and Navy.

“We still have challenges, and the MRH story is a bit of a journey,” BRIG Mathewson said.

“We’re still discovering some issues with the product, which will take some time to resolve, but we are working through them at the moment and it’s all part of remediating an immature design. But it’s making very good progress and it’s worth noting that we in Australia employ this helicopter in a multiple array of uses, arguably more than any other nation, so we are stretching the envelope in every direction.”

Recent milestones have included the declaration of an initial maritime capability (Operational Capability Maritime 1) by Navy in February, representing the ability of a single flight to operate in a permissive environment.

The expansion of this into more challenging environments will occur under OCM2 and OCM3 over the next 18 months. First of Class flight trials aboard HMAS Canberra, the Navy’s first LHD have also begun and loading trials aboard an RAAF C-17A, validating the strategic transportability of Taipan, have been carried out.

From an Army perspective, the first Operational Capability Amphibious (OCA 1) milestone was declared in December

Australian Army Tiger ARH dispenses self protection countermeasures. (Defence)

last year and will be followed by the first Operational Capability Land (OCL1, a platoon lift capability) milestone in the July timeframe with OCA2, which is further work in relation to the LHD. “The 5th Aviation Regiment at Townsville has now retired the Black Hawk and they really have adapted to the MRH 90. The MRH is particularly suited to the operations they undertake up there,” BRIG Mathewson said.

“The Rate of Effort in 5 Aviation Regiment has really taken off and they’ve done really well.

Certainly from a pilot’s perspective they are very happy with the aircraft.”

Technical Challenges Many of the technical challenges have been overcome but others remain, which may affect the timetable looking forward. One is the testing of the Electronic Warfare Self Protection (EWSP) system on both helicopters, which has proven more challenging than hoped.

“The plan is to have that in place by the end of the year, in time for Tiger FOC,” BRIG Mathewson said. “Then we hope to leverage the information we have derived into the MRH space.”

An MRH 90 Helicopter being loaded onto a RAAF C-17A Globemaster III aircraft during trials. (Defence)

Another challenge is the current design of the cargo hook, which restricts Navy’s use of a rigid strop for an underslung load. Because the hook is integrated with the aircraft software (it can determine the weight of the load on the hook when it is lifted off the ground for example), this is not a simple fix.

The Commonwealth is in contract with AGAP to modify the hook, and it is expected that the solution will commence being rolled out across the fleet in about 18 months’ time.

One issue being remediated at present, which arguably isn’t a technical deficiency of the design, is the replacement of the cabin seats with wider units, to seat an infantryman in full combat gear.

The size and weight of the modern combat soldier has grown over the years, and the seats as originally designed are no longer wide enough. This is an issue facing transport helicopters and fixed wing aircraft worldwide.

The new, wider, seats will limit the number of combat soldiers in the MRH, but up to 14 will still be able to be carried, depending on other role equipment being used. Brigadier Mathewson says this still offers adequate capability compared with similar helicopter types.

“We will retain the standard seats, so that we can install them when we perform Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) tasking, so when people aren’t required to wear combat armour and webbing we can carry more, and still in seats that are energy attenuating and offer contemporary crash protection,” he said.

While the MRH 90 may not have been a mature design when first introduced to service, the up-side is that its airframe, engines and drive train have significant growth potential.

“This is an aircraft at the start of its life and it has had a lot of thought put into its original design to be able to give it that growth path,” BRIG Mathewson concluded.

“In the meantime both helicopters are on a good trajectory. We’re looking forward to the Tiger FOC milestone being achieved early next year and to further capability milestones for MRH coming up over the next two years.”

defencetoday

15

DefenceAustralia.

Reshaping Australia’s warship and submarine building industry

Australia’s newest warship, the Air Warfare Destroyer HMAS Hobart following its launch at Techport in South Australia in May.

Peter Layton

Australia’s new Defence White Paper when released later this year is expected to continue the strategic direction set by earlier White Papers. It will be evolutionary, not revolutionary.

The major exception is likely to be a new path laid out for the Australian ship and submarine building industry, one that focuses on improving efficiency, although the way to achieve this appears uncertain.

16 defencetoday

A contentious debate is underway about where to build Australia’s new ships and submarines. The Federal government favors building more offshore, arguing that that this offers better value for money, with ships delivered sooner at lower cost. Reflecting this preference, only Spain’s Navantia and South Korea’s Daewoo shipyards are being allowed to tender for the new at-sea support ship acquisition program. Those against this stragegy, mainly the State governments most affected, argue that building naval ships onshore is good for jobs, the national economy and the long term maintenance and support of the new ships acquired.

Those who seek to build offshore stress maximizing the Defence budget, getting the most ‘bang for the buck’. Those seeking onshore building stress taking a much broader view, speaking of nation building and revitalizing domestic manufacturing.

Resolving these two viewpoints appears likely to involve making tough political choices that will inflict real pain on some

local communities. Accordingly, this debate has featured some intense and at times acrimonious politicking.

In stark contrast, the strategic side of Australia’s new ships and submarines has received little discussion. There seems widespread agreement that these new vessels should meet the challenge thrown up by an increasingly assertive China and its accompanying impressive naval buildup.

This focus means the new ships are seen as needing the long range and endurance necessary to operate deep into Northeast Asia from Australian bases. Moreover, they should be technologically very advanced and be able to work closely with the USN. These requirements mean the new vessels acquired will be both large, and individually costly.

The rancorous hunt for efficiency and the agreed strategic direction come together in today’s two most difficult defence issues: the Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) build program and the proposed new submarine acquisition. Both matters are strongly

Japan is offering a modified Soryu Class submarine as a replacement for the Collins Class fleet under the future submarine project.

interrelated and when resolved will shape the future of Australian naval ship and submarine building.

The AWD Saga In 2007 the Howard government selected the modified Navantia F-100 design over that offered by American shipbuilder Gibb and Cox. The Spanish option was less capable but significantly cheaper, available quicker and being in service seemingly much less risky. The government acting on advice from management consultants, industry experts and the Defence Material Organization (DMO) choose an unusual alliance management approach to build the three new AWDs. The alliance comprising the Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC), Raytheon and the DMO were to all work together in a partnership.

None had built a surface warship before.

On 23 May the first AWD, HMAS Hobart, was floated off from its Adelaide shipyard to begin an extensive fitting out program.

This was much later than originally planned.

In 2007, the schedule envisaged the three ships being delivered in December 2014, March 2016 and June 2017, whereas it is now June 2017, September 2018 and March 2020. The price has similarly blown out, with a recent forensic audit estimating the program now costs some $1.2bn more than initially contracted for. This audit then adds another $800m additional expense to this figure when considering the costs of keeping in service the ships meant to be replaced by the AWDs. The total cost of the AWDs is accordingly now some $9bn; advanced naval vessels able to operate at long range against top-tier adversaries do not come cheap. The difficulties in building the three AWDS are focused mainly on two factors.

Firstly, in retrospect the management structure appears to have been flawed from the outset. The highly successful ANZAC ship build program used a single prime contractor responsible for management and ship delivery. In contrast, the AWD’s alliance structure has proven complex, unwieldy, and without clear lines of management responsibility. After several reviews last year, the government has responded with Finance Minister Mathias Cormann announcing in late May that: “The Government will begin a limited tender, to either insert a managing contractor into ASC for the remainder of the build, or further enhance ASC capability through a partnering arrangement.”

This tender is possible, as ASC is a government owned company administered by the Department of Finance. This makes the government deeply involved in, and ultimately responsible for, the management

of the AWD project. BAE Systems or Navantia appear front-runners to win the management tender.

Secondly, the F-100 ships had only ever been built at a single shipyard that had developed considerable shipbuilding skills and expertise over several decades. In exporting the design, a key requirement was having very accurate and very detailed plans. This was made even more critical by the modular construction technique that was adopted in which three separate facilities across Australia were to build the 31 individual blocks that make up each complete hull. The numerous Australian companies involved seem to have had considerable problems with the plans provided, at times making multiple reworks necessary and leading to long delays. In this regard, Chris Burns, CEO of the Adelaidebased Defence Teaming Centre, charges the DMO: “to save money, only purchased paperbased designs as opposed to the computerbased designs that were available for a marginal additional cost.”

This all stands in contrast to the ANZAC ship build program. The record of this program though is judged in the light of eight ships successfully delivered. The ship design at the time was well-defined and intended for export to shipyards worldwide. South Australian State Premier Jay Weatherill has complained that judging the AWD project so early may be misleading in ignoring the efficiencies that will be gained through the rest of the build program. For example, labour costs on the third ship will be only half that of the first ship.

Weatherill claims that the forensic report “has lumped all the start-up costs inclusive of separate facility costs to somehow come up with a large figure multiplied [across] the entire project.” Moreover, the forensic report will not apparently be released, leading Chris Initial design, integration and maintenance problems with Australia’s Collins Class submarine have encouraged the Government to favour a proven design for its replacement rather than a new design. (Defence)

defencetoday

17

DefenceAustralia.

Clockwise from left: DCNS is proposing a nonnuclear powered version of its large Barracuda submarine.

The Norwegian F310 Fridtjof Nansen-class may be considered for the new large anti-submarine warfare frigates.

The TKMS Type 216 proposal for Australia’s new submarine is based on an enlarged Type 212 boat.

‘

The government would prefer not to award new contracts to ASC or consider an evolved Collins Class option. This is unfortunate as the Collins - on range, endurance, combat system and weapons fit out - appears closer to the Navy’s requirements than some other alternatives being investigated.

’

Burns to angrily complain that “we don’t even know who did this audit, how it was conducted, what was the methodology and who was involved.”

The upshot has been that the Australian naval shipbuilding programs in the future will be markedly different. Defence Minister Kevin Andrews recently announced a number of new key principles for future Australian naval shipbuilding including having: “a well integrated designer, builder and supplier team; preferencing mature designs of vessels; thoroughly testing Navy’s capability requirement against readily available military vessels; limiting the amount of changes to the design selected; [and] spending more time at the beginning of the project on planning the design and build program.”

Combined with this, there is now strong government interest in adopting a continuous build approach that avoids the peaks and troughs of earlier stop-start contracting. The intent is to create a sustainable shipbuilding industry that in being more efficient will make the cost of building naval ships in Australia comparable to that offshore. For example US shipyards are seen as able to build naval ships using the continuous build approach for some 30 to 40 per cent less than Australian shipyards.

This is an appealing idea, albeit with some issues. Continuous shipbuilding means

18 defencetoday

replacing ships earlier than necessary. Some have estimated about six years earlier when there remains about 25 per cent of the ship’s life left. In a ship that say costs $1bn, this means forgoing $250m of use. Continuous build can also lock in future governments making changes to long-term defence plans to meet new and emerging strategic challenges problematic. Moreover, the approach may further mean that old designs are persevered with when new innovative designs from new companies should instead be embraced. Often not included in the continuous build discussion is that Australia’s shipbuilding industry handles not just surface warships but also submarines.

New Submarine Problems Australia built six Collins Class submarines in the 1990s. The boats have proven an operational success, being popular with their crews who consider the type one of the best conventional submarines in the world.

The same is not true of their maintenance and sustainment, which by the 2010 was considered seriously failing. Driven by the findings of the 2012 Coles Report, the DMO, ASC and the Navy developed a completely new long-term maintenance approach that has already delivered major improvements in performance, cost and schedule.

In thinking about replacing the Collins Class,

the previous government had decided upon investigating an evolved Collins Class or a wholly new design. The Abbott government when elected rejected this approach, opting instead to reinvestigate either an off-theshelf or a modified existing design. The new strategic push to operate in distant NE Asia though means that no off-the-shelf designs are suitable; accordingly, buying a modified existing design is now favored.

This matter is complicated by the intense governmental irritation with ASC, the builder of the Collins Class submarine, over AWD build problems. The issue is further obscured, in that the government has had a longrunning political campaign that asserts the Collins Class is a failure, the boats were acquired by the Opposition when they were in power. Accordingly, the government would prefer not to award new contracts to ASC or consider an evolved Collins Class option. This is unfortunate as the Collins on range, endurance, combat system and weapons fit out appears closer to the Navy’s requirements than some other alternatives being investigated.

Further uncertainty has arisen as the Prime Minster, concerned about the direction of Australia’s most expensive ever defence program, has become progressively more involved. This has occurred against a backdrop of Australia, responding to

regional geopolitical realignments, moving strategically closer to Japan. Moreover, both country’s Prime Ministers have become personally close. These developments meant that by late 2014 it seemed to some that the Australian Prime Minister had decided that Australia would buy 10 Soryu class submarines off-the-shelf to be built in Japan, thus reversing a pre-election commitment to build the Collins replacements in Adelaide.

This was doubly remarkable as since the Second World War Japan has not exported advanced military equipment.

The matter became more complex when it was realized that the Soryu class did not meet the Navy’s requirements in terms of range, endurance, combat system and weapons fitout. The boats would need to be extensively modified and thus could not be off-the-shelf.

Compounding this, with deep concerns over his political future growing, the Prime Minster suddenly acquiesced to opening the competition up and considering a role in the future submarine program for Adelaide and ASC. The result is that early this year, the government announced a new competitive evaluation process that would consider proposals from Germany’s TKMS, France’s DCNS and Japan while excluding Sweden, the original Collins Class designer. The countries are to offer three options: one that maximizes offshore construction, one that maximizes onshore construction and an alternative in between. The evaluation process is to be completed by early next year.

All the designs will be evolved versions of existing submarines. The TKMS Type 216 proposal is based on an enlarged Type 212, the DCNS is proposing a nonnuclear powered version of its large Barracuda submarine with Japan offering a modified Soryu Class.

While Germany and France are pushing hard, political factors appear to favor the Japanese.

The Prime Minster in Parliament in February noted that Defence Department discussions on the future submarine project: “have been more detailed with the Japanese, because the Japanese make the best large conventional submarine in the world.”

Indeed, while needing extensive modifications to meet Australian Navy requirements, the

Carlo Margottini, an Italian ASW variant of the FREMM European Multi-Purpose Frigate.

Soryu’s are very impressive, proven, in-service boats. Their propulsion system and especially their advanced batteries are of great interest to the Navy. If Australia buys the Soryu class, the first two boats are likely to be built at the Kawasaki and Mitsubishi shipyards in Japan with the next two boats built by a joint Japanese-Australian workforce. The last four boats would then be built in Australia

by ASC. This approach should overcome the problems with the AWD project in terms of accurate plans and transferring construction skills. Even so, acquiring the Japanese boats has considerable technical risks given the hull design changes needed and in integrating a new combat system and weapons. Moreover, the Japanese have never exported a submarine before or provided long-term logistic backup and support to a foreign military.

A Brave New Future?

For the surface naval ship building industry the future looks reasonably clear, even if the beginning may be some time yet. The government appears set to embrace a plan to build surface warships under a long-term continuous build program that uses proven designs. The first ships to be built using this approach are likely to be the new large antisubmarine warfare frigates.

As part of this project, the previous Defence Minster, David Johnston, had funded studies into an evolved AWD design that would

have had considerable Australian industry involvement. This now looks rather unlikely given the current Defence Minister’s new acquisition principles. Instead the competition seems between the UK’s Type 26, the European FREMM, two Blohm+Voss options and the Norwegian F310 Fridtjof Nansen-class. Hopefully, with the lessons of the AWD learned, the new frigate build program should be as successful as the earlier ANZAC ship program. In this, the new program is almost certain to feature a single prime contractor.

On the submarine front, it seems likely that the initial boats (probably Japanese) will be built overseas. Further boats will then be built by ASC in Adelaide several years later. Whichever submarine type wins the competition though, there remain real concerns. Given the Navy’s demanding requirements for distant NE Asia operations, the modifications to an existing design needed present significant technical risks. Such complex developmental projects commonly suffer unexpected cost increases and delivery delays.

Accordingly, it would be prudent to plan on extending the Collins submarines’ life. There is some talk of the first Collin’s replacement being delivered as early as 2025 but this seems unrealistic.

A 2013 study found the Collin’s Class service life could be extended to 2031-2038.

Embracing this would allow for the almost inevitable new build project slippages.

Alternatively, perhaps the option of leasing boats as an interim capability to fill the gap between the Collins leaving service and the new boats arriving could be investigated.

Certainly having no ‘Plan B’ seems most unwise given Australia’s recent JSF acquisition project experience of suddenly having to spend several billion dollars to buy interim aircraft when technical problems caused a JSF delivery delay of several years.

There is an old supposedly-Chinese curse about living in interesting times. It seems that is the future of the Australian naval ship and submarine building industry.

Dr Peter Layton is a Visiting Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University.

Competition for Australia’s new large anti-submarine warfare frigates seems to be between the UK’s Type 26 (pictured), the European FREMM, two Blohm+Voss options and the Norwegian F310 Fridtjof Nansen-class.

defencetoday

19

DefenceAustralia.

Army’s Rotary Wing capability enhanced

Nigel Pittaway, Melbourne

Australian soldiers from the 2 Cav Regt Task Group prepare to board a US Army CH-47F Chinook helicopter during operations in Afghanistan. (Defence)

In a ceremony largely unrecorded by Australia’s media, the first two Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters were formally commissioned into Australian Army service during May. Seven CH-47F Chinooks are being acquired to replace six earlier CH-47D variants, expected to be in service with C Squadron of the Townsville-based 5th Aviation Regiment by August.

At the handover ceremony in Townsville Defence Minister Kevin Andrews said that the CH-47 ‘Foxtrot’ programme represented a Commonwealth investment of $631 million in the overhaul of Army’s heavy-lift helicopter capability, which will provide modern and improved cargo helicopter.

“In addition to this investment, following Parliamentary approval last year, $49.8 million will be invested to support the introduction and sustainment of the Chinook,” he told invited guests.

“Construction at RAAF Base Townsville is scheduled for completion in mid 2017. This project will provide strong economic benefit to the local community, with opportunities for up to 800 construction industry personnel.”

‘Foxtrot’ Enhancements

Major Matthew Everett, 5th Aviation Regiment, demonstrates a CH-47F Chinook helicopter simulator for Minister for Defence, Kevin Andrews, during the commissioning ceremony at RAAF Base Townsville.

20 defencetoday

Although the aerodynamic performance and load-carrying capacity of the new Chinook is largely identical to that of the earlier Delta model, Boeing has made some significant improvements under the ‘skin’ of the helicopter to make it easier to operate and maintain.

The airframe is now constructed, in part, from machined components rather than a structure built up by fabricated sheet-metal sub-assemblies. According to Boeing, this reduces vibration and therefore the likelihood of structural cracks occurring through the 30 year-plus life of the helicopter.

To make the Chinook more readily transportable by air (aboard a C-5 Galaxy or C-17A Globemaster) quick disconnect fittings

have been added to the numerous fluid couplings in the aft rotor pylon, enabling the helicopter to be disassembled more rapidly and, importantly, reassembled in less time at its deployed destination.

Boeing has also made major improvements to the cockpit , including the incorporation of the Rockwell Collins Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) glass cockpit used by contemporary US Army helicopters such as the MH-47G Chinook and the latest variants of the UH-60 Black Hawk. Also incorporated is the BAE Systems Digital Automatic Flight Control System (DAFCS).

Boeing’s director of cargo helicopter business development Randy Rotte, an ex Chinook pilot with the US Army, says the new equipment makes the Foxtrot a much more capable and cost-effective helicopter than its forebears.

“The Delta had ‘steam’ gauges and needles and now it’s an all-glass cockpit, which gets inputs from a range of different sources: radios, a moving map display, survivability information – and you can choose which pages you want to look at and you can also customise them, “ he said.

“This provides tremendous situational awareness for the flight crew. There’s no excuse for getting lost now, it’s like flying with a GPS. You can have your eyes out of the cockpit more and you can see on the moving map where you are. It really enables you to adjust to threats and enemy locations, or to change where your refuel point might be. It really lets the pilots focus more outside and

IpsWICh Queensland’s fastest growing city

Be part of one of south East Queensland’s most progressive cities Home to not only Australia’s largest defence base but one of the largest in the southern hemisphere, housing over 6,000 Defence personnel and contractors on site, RAAF Base Amberley is proving to be a leader in Australian defence technology and operations.

Ipswich prides itself on creating a welcoming and sustainable network to both Australian defence operators and contractors on a national and international scale. Already proving attractive to some of the largest defence contractors and their support networks, the City of Ipswich offers companies elite education facilities, professional service

providers and a skilled workforce to help your business grow.

With a proactive council, modern infrastructure, central location and efficient transport networks, Ipswich is a major hub of activity leading the way for innovation, growth and investment in south east Queensland. Exciting opportunities for future economic growth and social vitality awaits new business ventures looking to establish operations in Ipswich.

When considering your future business needs, think location, think lifestyle, think affordability, think prosperity - think Ipswich.

For Further inFormation or assistance contact: Ipswich City Council’s Office of Economic Development Telephone: +61 7 3810 6938 Email: ipswichcity@ipswich.qld.gov.au Website: www.ipswich.qld.gov.au defencetoday

21

DefenceAustralia.

Two Australian Army CH-47D Chinook helicopters fly in formation during operations in the Middle East. (Defence)

employ the helicopter in a better way.”

Rotte says that it is the DAFCS which has really revolutionised the way the Foxtrot Chinook is used, with the ability to automatically bring the helicopter to a hover over its intended landing point and allow the pilot to lower the aircraft in one foot increments (called ‘beeping the helicopter down’ by US Army crews) without any drift.

“Imagine a brown-out condition in the desert, or white-out in the snow, or fog. Having the confidence that your aircraft is not drifting means you can land in those areas with much more precision,” he explained.

“DAFCS improves the flight profile from take off to landing and every place in between, especially when carrying a sling load as DAFCS automatically dampens any oscillation out. It really is a tremendous system.”

According to Rotte, US Army analysis has found that Foxtrot’s operating and sustainment costs are 30 per cent less than those of the earlier Delta model.

Replacing the CH-47D, Air 9000 5C Project Air 9000 Phase 5C was developed in the mid 2000s to replace the ‘analogue’ CH-47D with the CH-47F then entering service with the US Army.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress in mid 2009 of a possible Foreign Military Sales (FMS) sale of seven Foxtrots to Australia.

Equipment included 16 Honeywell T55-GA714A engines, 7 Dillon Aerospace M134D mini-guns, 16 AN/ARC-201D Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radios (SINCGARS), 7 Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below Blue Force Trackers (FBCB2/BFT), plus mission, support and training equipment.

As an FMS sale, the deal leverages off the larger US Army orders, and Australia’s Foxtrots are included in a bridging contract between their Multi Year One (MY1) and Multi Year Two (MY2) production batches.

“The beauty of being on the back of the US Army negotiation for MY2 means that we

Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) soldiers disembark from a United States Army Ch-47 Chinook after operations in northern Kandahar. (Defence)

22 defencetoday

have seen the price come down and we also have a far ‘cleaner’ production process,” explained Rear Admiral Tony Dalton, with the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO).

“A lot of the modifications coming out of MY1 were post-production modifications. That’s all been rolled into MY2 production by Boeing, so we actually have a far cleaner production process, with all of the modifications incorporated on the production line, and at a lower price.”

Australia’s Foxtrots are almost identical to their American counterparts, and the aim is to maintain them as close as possible to the US configuration, to realise efficiencies in both interoperability and sustainment.

Differences include a Boeing optional rotor brake, tie-down adaptors to secure the helicopters when deployed aboard Navy’s LHDs, ballistic underfloor protection and mounts for the mini-guns.

In the near future Australia’s Foxtrots will be fitted with energy-attenuating cockpit seats and later on the cabin will be upgraded in line with a future US Army modification to enhance crash protection.

Another element of Air 9000, the Chinook Capability Alignment Programme (CH CAP), was announced in the 2012 Defence Capability Plan (DCP) and will buy in to the US Army fleet upgrade programme to ensure Australia’s Foxtrots remain aligned with the American fleet.

Australia has also recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada to work with the US Army on future developments.

“Together, having each of the other nations contribute will allow Australia to have some influence on the future development of the product,” Rear Admiral Dalton said.

“Collectively, it gives us the opportunity to influence the spiral upgrade programme the US Army has in place.”

Australian Army soldier Corporal Trent Bayliss, Aircrewman Technician, 5th Aviation Regiment, during the commissioning ceremony of the new CH-47F Chinook. (Defence)

Training for Foxtrot As part of Air 9000 Phase 5C two simulators, known as Transportable Flight Proficiency Trainers (TFTPs), have been acquired and delivered to Townsville over the last 12 months, the first in April 2014 and the second in February this year.

Initial training of Australian Foxtrot crews will shortly begin in Townsville and will be conducted by a US Army New Equipment Training Team (NETT), which has been responsible for converting American crews throughout the world to the Chinook Foxtrot since it began entering US Army service in 2006.

“The US Army NETT is getting to the end of the process of converting US Army Chinook units and we’re tapping in to that to begin our training here in Australia. The transition period from Delta to Foxtrot takes between six and eight weeks per pilot,” RADM Dalton detailed.

“From a pilot’s perspective the helicopter handles in a similar fashion but it’s a digital aircraft, it’s got the CAAS cockpit and digital AFCS. They are the big issues, but in terms of weights and performance it’s a relatively straightforward transition. I’ve been up to Townsville and flown the trainer and it is completely immersive and a fantastic training device.”

The trainers are designed to fit inside transport containers, which can be airlifted aboard a C-5 Galaxy. Once deployed, they can be extended out to form a fixed-base CH-47F cockpit with a full visual system.

Once initial training has been completed, the TFPTs will be operated in-house by the Australian Army Aviation Corps, but will be maintained by civilian contractors.

Maintaining, sustaining the Fleet Boeing Defence Australia is under contract for delivery and on-site operational support for the Foxtrots and BAE Systems, who currently hold the deeper level maintenance for the older CH-47D fleet, will also maintain the Foxtrot through to the end of their current contract, at which point its renewal will be competed for by industry.

Operational level maintenance is undertaken

Major General Gus McLachlan, Head of Modernisation and Strategic Planning - Army. (Defence)

on the CH-47D internally within 5 Aviation Regiment and this will also be the case with the CH-47F. However, because the Deltas are being retired, as or before they come up for their next deep maintenance checks, RADM Dalton said that the DMO was working with BAE Systems to have them perform some operational level maintenance during the transition period.

“We are working with BAE Systems to keep their workforce in Townsville together,” he said.

“We have negotiated with industry to maintain that skill base in Townsville during the transition period to the Foxtrot.”

Although Australia is ‘plugged in’ to the US Army logistics chain, it does not have a sustainment contract with them and the management of spare parts is managed in-house. An example of this is the overhaul of the T55 engine, which is common between the CH-47D and F, by Columbia Helicopters in the United States.

“We found that trying to get into the US Army system with Honeywell we were stuck at the end of a very long queue, so we are using Columbia to do engine overhauls and things such as that,” RADM Dalton continued.

“We have our own sustainment system which does plug into parts of the US Army system, but effectively we are not considered another US Army squadron and we’re not completely integrated into the US Army sustainment programme.”

in Townsville by C-5 in May; the seventh and final aircraft remains on schedule for delivery in August.

An Airworthiness Board Special Flight Permit was issued in April to support initial flying in Australia, which began in May and , following initial training, the transition to operational service is due to begin later this year.

Initial Operational Capability (IOC), which is defined by three aircraft (in standard US Army configuration) and the TFTPs in service, is planned to occur by the end of 2015.

Final Operational Capability (FOC) is currently on track to follow by the end of January 2017.

RADM Dalton said the key risk to this schedule was the migration of training, much of which is currently done overseas, to the new training devices in Australia.

“Project Air 9000 Phase 5C is a military off the shelf (MOTS) FMS-case programme and it is running on schedule and under budget,” he said.

“It’s not a risk-free programme, but compared with contemporary helicopter programmes it is performing exceptionally well.”

Below: US Army CH-47F Chinook of the type recently introduced into the Australian Army. (US Army)

Arrival and entry into Service The first two Foxtrots were delivered to Australia aboard a USAF C-5 Galaxy in early April and reassembled

by Boeing Defence Australia at the 5th Aviation Regiment’s home base in Townsville.

The second pair arrived

defencetoday

23

DefenceAustralia.

Strategic airlift growth to meet future tasking

Nigel Pittaway, Melbourne

C-17 Globemaster pilots Flight Lieutenant Simon Grant and Flying Officer Luke Ridgeway, fly their cargo of AusAID emergency assistance for flood victims in Pakistan into Islamabad. (Defence)

Australia’s fleet of C-17A Globemaster III airlift aircraft will total eight when the RAAF takes delivery of two more aircraft by September this year, and the Government is considering acquisition of a further two C-17s as part of the forthcoming Force Structure Review (FSR) and Defence White Paper (DWP).

Considering that the initial order ten years ago was just four aircraft, doubling the fleet this year, and with the prospect of two more aircraft, this represents a significant escalation in strategic airlift capability for the Australian Defence Force.

Right: RAAF C-17 Globemaster III on final approach to land amid the snow surrounding the tarmac at Tarin Kot, Afghanistan to deliver vehicles and tonnes of equipment, as well as personnel. (Defence)

24 defencetoday

Undoubtedly, Australia’s C-17A fleet has done great work since entering service in 2006, not only supporting ADF operations in the Middle East but also in assisting Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations throughout the Asia-Pacific region and as far afield as Europe.

According to a former senior government official one of the greatest displays of diplomacy and friendship is the arrival of an RAAF C-17 laden with aid to assist relief operations in a disaster-torn country or region.

The two aircraft on order are part of a batch of ten ‘white tail’ aircraft, funded by Boeing in anticipation of orders, and have already

been either built or almost completed. Rather than shutting down the C-17 production line, Boeing chose to fund production of the 10 aircraft. Escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, associated humanitarian emergencies, and increased disaster relief missions have made this decision worthwhile.

For Australia, the increase in C-17 fleet numbers is a welcome increase in airlift capability and availability for tasking, but the operating squadron at RAAF Base Amberley is outgrowing its facilities and there is increased pressure on training and resources.

So how will the Air Force cope with a 25 per ent increase in fleet size in just 10 months from announcement, how is it planning

ramp up capability, and just what additional capability will the aircraft deliver – aside from the obvious extra capacity?

Government Decision In October 2014, then-Defence Minister David Johnston said the additional C-17s now on order would significantly enhance the RAAF’s capacity for operational tasks and HADR operations.

“The C-17A Globemasters have been integral in supporting Australians at home and abroad, assisting in our aid to communities in Queensland and Victoria after flooding and cyclones, Operation ‘Bring Them Home’ (victims of the Malaysian Airlines MH17 crash) from the Ukraine and the search from MH370 off the West Australian coast highlighted the need for more airlifters.

“The ability to react and move large elements of Australia’s support systems over long distances during these times has highlighted the need for us to have a good sized fleet,” the Minister said.

The required response to the MH-17 shootdown, when aircraft were deployed at short notice to the Netherlands, may have been the catalyst for the additional purchase – or at least the early announcement of it.

Air Commodore Richard Lennon, Commander of the RAAF’s Air Mobility Group, says the decision was an advance announcement of the Force Structure Review.

“I think it was apparent to everybody that a larger fleet of C-17As was going to serve not only the ADF but also the government and Australia, better than we currently can with just six aircraft,” he noted.

“The FSR team looked at the holistic needs of the ADF and the government, and they determined both through modelling and, especially after MH17 experience, that there was an immediate demand for additional capacity in the C-17A fleet.”

Delivery Schedule The two aircraft are being purchased under a US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement a under a US$1.6 billion deal. Equipment included in the approval comprised, 19 Pratt & Whiney F117-PW-100 engines (16 installed and three spares), four Northrop Grumman AN/AAQ-24V Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) Systems,

four Small Laser Transmitter Assemblies, four System Processors, four Northrop Grumman AN/AAR-54 Missile Warning Sensors, one BAE Systems AN/ALE-47 Airborne Countermeasures Dispenser System, one Orbital ATK AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning System, five Trimble Force 524 Receivers, two GAS-1 Antenna Units, two Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas, one AN-USC43V Advanced Narrowband Voice Terminal, 16 Honeywell H-764 ACE Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation Systems; and spares, test equipment, training and technical documentation and publications.

The first aircraft is due to be delivered to the US Air Force in late July and, after some RAAF role-specific equipment is fitted and the necessary paperwork completed, it will be transferred to RAAF ownership and delivered to Australia in August. The second aircraft will follow in the September timeframe and both will be pressed immediately into service.

Preparations at RAAF Amberley To cater for the two, and possibly four, additional C-17s, 30 million dollars will be spent on infrastructure work on-base at Amberley, including a dedicated maintenance hangar and increased apron and taxiway areas.

From a personnel perspective, Air Commodore Lennon said that work to increase the numbers of aircrew and maintenance personnel is already underway.

“We began planning as soon as the decision was taken. We looked at our aircrew and maintenance numbers in particular, and we started growing our workforce at Amberley, such that when the aircraft arrive they won’t have a significant impact on the workforce ,” he said.

“The additional aircrews and maintenance staff will help us realise a greater Rate of Effort (RoE) for the fleet.”

Work is also being carried out through the Air Force’s Maintenance Improvement Programme, to improve maintenance practices to provide greater efficiencies in terms of practices and procedures.

“The aircrew tasking is fairly straightforward; they’ll take the aircraft around the world as we seek to utilise the aircraft as efficiently as possible through the Air Mobility Control

C-17A Globemaster IIIs offer large volume cargo options along with drive on, drive off for wheeled and tracked vehicles, and the capacity for large numbers of combat ready troops and passengers. (Defence photos)

defencetoday

25

DefenceAustralia.

Centre at Richmond,” AIRCDRE Lennon continued.

“In the maintenance world we are realising new practices and procedures that help us to turn the aircraft around faster and therefore get more out of them.”

The additional capacity offered by the two Globemasters also delivers operational flexibility, such that when short-notice tasking such as HADR response occurs, there is less impact on the day to day operations and training at Amberley.

“It really is about increasing the capacity of the fleet and, to some extent, having some spare capacity, so we can better react to immediate requirements around the world.”

Networking the Globemaster fleet The capabilities of the C-17 fleet are also being enhanced by the installation of a satellite communications (SATCOM) capability, which is being rapidly acquired under the auspices of the Air Force’s Plan Jericho.

A Fixed Installation Satellite Antenna (FISA) system, which is common to the USAF Globemaster fleet, was installed in one RAAF aircraft in just 63 days – after first being discussed at the Avalon Airshow in February.

In addition, an L-3 Communications AirView 360 C-17 En Route Networked Situational Awareness (ERNSA) display system has been installed and the new capability was demonstrated in Canberra in May, when full-motion video feed from an RAAF Heron Remotely Piloted Aircraft operating over Woomera, 2000 km away, was displayed on large screens inside the aircraft.

“The world-wide presence of the Air Mobility fleet means one of our aircraft is quite often the first presence in an operational theatre or disaster area,” AIRCDRE Lennon explained.

“So we are looking at the communications piece, to provide reach back for troops we might insert or for our Command & Control elements and SATCOM allows us to very much create a presence in these forward

areas, be it a natural disaster or operational area. This gives us the ability to both provide information back to the decision makers in Australia and to pass information forward to the first responders that are on the ground in these areas.”

Another capability upgrade in the pipeline for C-17 is a Link 16 Tactical Data Link installation, which will provide enhanced situational awareness to either the Command & Control elements in the back of the aircraft, or to the aircraft itself.

Interface with Link 16 will be via a tablet or laptop which plugs into the aircraft communications system via a standard computer network cable and enables the device to perform as a Link 16 terminal.

“That’s particularly useful when we’re conducting airdrop operations inside a

theatre, or moving intra-theatre. We can see where the aircraft is and we can re-task them while they are airborne to wherever the need is,” AIRCDRE Lennon said.

Will it be 10 Globemasters?

When Senator Johnston announced the acquisition of the 7th and 8th aircraft, he said the government had requested pricing and availability on a 9th and 10th aircraft, to be considered in the context of the FSR and DWP. However, these are not formal options and Boeing says that it has five of the ten ‘white tails’ still unsold as of the end of May. Therefore, if the RAAF wants to acquire them there is a time-critical dimension to the decision.

AIRCDRE Lennon said that planning has already begun to determine what extra resources would be needed should the government decide to buy the further two aircraft.

“We are looking at what it would mean for us to go to a fleet of ten aircraft; we are considering how many people we would need, what sort of Rate of Effort we would fly and what the additional cost would be. So all that planning is in place.”

“The Letter of Request (for four aircraft) is still valid, but the outcome won’t be known until government considers the FSR as part of the White Paper process.

“I expect to see more to come through the FSR, in terms of government expectations for the fleet, but the C-17 has been a fantastic success story for Australia and for the ADF.”

Top: Medical Evacuation operations via the C-17 enable fast response to emergencies worldwide and advanced medical care facilities onboard.

Group Captain Peter Chipman explains the capability of the newly-installed Satellite Communications and Imagery Display suite inside an Air Force C-17A Globemaster. (Defence Photos)

26 defencetoday

DEFENCE BANK

IS YOUR

BANK Paratroopers exit a RAAF C-17A Globemaster III. (Defence)

Senior RAAF and government officials have recently also briefed the Royal New Zealand Air Force and New Zealand Government on the C-17As capabilities, in response to interest in a possible acquisition from across the Tasman.

It is understood that a whole range of options are under consideration, from the completely independent RNZAF purchase and operation of two aircraft, through to an air mobility force that is fully integrated between the two countries.

Whether these discussions will result in the outright purchase of two aircraft by New Zealand or whether the 9th and 10th aircraft mooted by the Australian government will be involved in any form of bilateral pooling arrangement is not yet clear.

“Defence consistently engages with New Zealand over a wide range of capability issues,” was all a Defence spokesperson was prepared to say, when asked about the nature of the C-17 discussions.

In the meantime however, under Plan Jericho the RAAF C-17 fleet will be developed into a responsive and integrated capability within the networked force, whether it is made up of eight or ten aircraft.

We are proud to be a member-owned bank who has served the financial needs of the Defence Community for 40 years. We re-invest profits to provide better products and services. We don’t pay dividends to shareholders. We exist only to serve our members.

We can help you create the financial future you want.

Our dedicated team are here to help you with: > Home Loans for Defence Force members > Mobile Home Loan Consultants available to come to you > Investments and Superannuation > Award winning Car Loans > Home, Contents and Car Insurance Contact us today: 1800 033 139, 8am–8pm AEST weekdays defencebank.com.au Visit your local Defence Bank branch info@defencebank.com.au

To find out more visit defencebank.com.au An explosion of dust is left in the wake of an Australian C-17 Globemaster as it lifts off from Tarin Kowt in Afghanistan. (Defence)

We Serve

Defence Bank Limited ABN 57 087 651 385 AFSL/Australian Credit Licence 234582.

defencetoday

27

DefenceAustralia.

Defence confuses Land 400 prime contractors Nigel Pittaway

With a price tag of around $10 billion, Land 400, the Army’s ambitious programme to replace its armoured fighting vehicle fleet, is one of the largest projects ever undertaken in the Land Force domain – and certainly the most costly. Phase 2, now underway, aims to acquire around 225 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles to replace the existing Australian Light Armoured Vehicle (ASLAV). Other phases will later replace the M113AS4 Armoured Personnel Carriers and introduce an Integrated Training System (ITS).

A Request for Tender for Phase 2 released in February, with bids to close on June 25, makes for an extremely tight timeline for industry primes to study the document, form teaming agreements, then select a vehicle upon which to place their bid.

Despite Defence’s claim of close engagement with industry throughout the process, there are concerns that both the timeline and the extent of requirements are difficult to meet.

In the case of the latter, concerns have been raised that the requirements are too detailed on the one hand, contradictory on the other and do not provide clear guidance on exactly what sort of vehicle Defence actually wants.

For example, informed opinion is divided over whether the RFT really calls for a wheeled or tracked vehicle, a manned or unmanned turret or passive or active defence systems (or even both)?

Unfortunately, defence primes likely to bid are unwilling to speak about the project or their plans, lest they suffer the displeasure of the Commonwealth. For its part, Defence declined an interview request and only responded to written questions, attributed merely to a ‘Defence Spokesperson’.

Phase Two Requirements Likely contenders for LAND 400 (clockwise from top): General Dynamic Land Systems LAV6, Rheinmetall’s Boxer and Singapore Technologies’ Terrex 8x8 (Defence)

28 defencetoday

The Mounted Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle capability is required to deliver survivability systems and have a life of type of 30 years.

Defence demands that the vehicles proposed are a Military Off The Shelf (MOTS) design already established in service with the armed forces of another western country. They must be sourced from an established production facility and at most, require only minor modifications to be interoperability with ADF and coalition assets.

The RFT requires also requires bidders to provide a copy of an executed contract or other documentary evidence to prove that the configuration of their baseline CRV (i.e. the fully integrated Mission System) satisfies this definition of MOTS. In addition, Defence says that providing a bidder offers a vehicle that meets the MOTS designation it may also offer one ‘MOTS Plus’ vehicle.

“In the LAND 400 Phase 2 RFT, MOTS Plus means a MOTS baseline vehicle (including MOTS variants) reconfigured with a single package of upgrades in order to deliver an increased level of compliance with the technical, functional and performance requirements of the RFT,” said the Defence Spokesperson.

The tender documentation is extremely complicated and includes a Key Requirements Matrix (KRM), which forms the basis against which the technical compliance is assessed for the field to be narrowed down to a shortlist of contenders.

However, one industry observer notes that

the KRM requires exceptionally high levels in performance in a range of key areas, but the Commonwealth has not attached a priority to them.

“Although the Commonwealth has said that protection, lethality and mobility are the most important things, their statements are not clear enough to drive bidders to a specific operational platform,” the individual said.

To further complicate matters another document in the suite is an Operational Concept Document (OCD), which also includes a lot of further information and desired outcomes, but the document is not understood to be a commercially or legally enforceable document.

The problem arises where there is contradiction between the two documents.

According to industry sources, the OCD points to a wheeled vehicle but, because it is not a legally enforceable document, it might imply that the Commonwealth may also accept a tracked vehicle.

“What that means in a sense, is that the companies wishing to prime for Land 400 have been placed in a position where they will have to undertake cost, capability and operational trade-off analysis themselves,” added one observer.

“There will have to be a large number of trade-offs and detailed discussions to ensure that what is finally delivered is actually what the Army wants, because if you read the KRM they want everything. I think the Commonwealth is going to be very surprised at the size of the vehicles required to do what they want them to do.”

Testing and evaluation Defence says it will conduct a detailed evaluation of the tenders against the evaluation criteria provided by the KRM. This evaluation will also include an assessment of the value for money to the Commonwealth and result in the production of a shortlist of one or more tenderers. It says it will also evaluate a ‘MOTS Plus’ offer as a separate tender and will advise the bidder if and when they are shortlisted which vehicle(s) it prefers.

“The Commonwealth has engaged closely with industry on Land 400 over a number of years and openly discussed the detailed acquisition strategy for Phase 2 of the programme. Drafts of the KRM,

OCD and Government Furnished Materiel and Indicative Communications Fit, were publicly released on 11 Sep 14, five months prior to release of the RFT,” the Defence Spokesperson said.

“This early engagement and high level of transparency, coupled with the MOTS based approach, should maximise the number of competitive bids received.”

The shortlisted contender(s) will then move to Stage 2 of the evaluation purpose, the Risk Mitigation Activities (RMA) which is aimed at mitigating any significant technical and commercial risks, validating the bidders’ claims and assessing cost and capability trade-off options.

The Commonwealth will provide up to $25 million to each shortlisted team to assist with the RMA, but part of this process will be ballistic protection testing, which will require the rapid provision (presumably from the manufacturer’s assembly line, where it is destined for an existing customer at that point in time) and tested to destruction.

Defence say this testing would occur at the Defence Proof and Experimental Establishment - Graytown (PEE-G) and will be undertaken by the Land Engineering Agency (LEA) with support provided by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and the Joint Proof & Experimental Unit (JPEU).

“The vehicles that will be evaluated during the Risk Mitigation Activities - the second stage of the tender evaluation process - must reflect the configuration of the Tenderer’s proposed Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV) solution,” the Defence spokesperson detailed.

“Where applicable, as part of acceptance, the Commonwealth would consider third party test results from accredited test agencies as supporting evidence towards compliance claims made against technical requirements.

However, due to the safety critical nature of requirements such as blast protection, the Commonwealth intends to conduct independent testing to validate claims as part of the Risk Mitigation Activities.”

The published timetable calls for the shortlisted vehicles supplied by the manufacturers in support of the RMA to be delivered in the second quarter of 2016, no later than 11 weeks after the RMA contract(s) are awarded.

“This is some 20 months after industry was initially informed of this requirement,” the spokesperson continued. “This should allow sufficient time for MOTS based vehicles to either be manufactured, or for loan arrangements with existing customers to be established.”

Following the conclusion of the RMA in January 2017, final evaluation of the shortlisted contenders will occur between then and April 2017, with initial contract negotiations with the winner(s) to begin the following month.

Australian Industry Content Another (arguably) contentious issue is the amount of work to be performed by Australian industry on the Land 400 programme.

Defence says there is no requirement for either the manufacture or assembly of vehicles to occur in Australia, although it leaves the door open for bidders to make such offers if they so desire.

This is an emotive subject across industry as a whole at the moment, with Land 400 being the first major land vehicle programme after the wholesale loss of Australia’s motor vehicle manufacturing industry. There is a political dimension too, with lobby groups pressing for assembly, at least in part, in Geelong in Victoria, or in Adelaide.

“Compliance with Australian Industry Capability (AIC) requirements, including the proposed value of work performed in Australia, is one of the evaluation criteria identified in the LAND 400 Phase 2 RFT. As part of the evaluation of tenders, a comparative assessment of the ‘proposed value of work performed in Australia’ will occur,” Defence says.

“The RFT also makes clear the Commonwealth’s intent to investigate opportunities to further maximise the Tenderer’s proposed level of AIC, subject to there being no adverse impacts on quality, schedule or cost, during the Risk Mitigation Activities.”

However, this once again puts the onus back on the primes, who are now trying to decide whether to engage with the local small to medium enterprises and, if so, with whom and for what work.

This is also quite possibly resulting in the SMEs burning up money they can ill afford to lose, responding to Requests for Information from the primes that may go absolutely nowhere in the not too distant future.

“AIC may not be important enough to make you a winner,” observed one analyst. “But it’s important enough to make you a loser.”

To Bid or Not to Bid The problem for the primes in particular, is that if they want to be a player in the land space in Australia in the future, they need to be involved in Land 400.

For some there just isn’t a business case and for others the lack of clarity in many of the requirements (despite the unprecedented level of engagement with industry) makes selecting a vehicle, or teaming with a partner with the right expertise, very difficult.

There have already been some big names in the defence industry space announcing their intention not to bid for Phase 2 and in all likelihood there will be more by the time tenders close on June 25.

“The Commonwealth understands that Land 400 is too important for primes not to be involved in,” said one defence analyst.

“Iif you don’t know what the Commonwealth wants, it is a pretty brave customer that’s going to offer a solution.”

Left: Patria AMV (Armored Modular Vehicle) is an 8×8 multi-role military vehicle produced by the Finnish defence industry company Patria.

defencetoday

29

DefenceAustralia.

COURAGE LEST WE FORGET.

In 2015, the 100th anniversary of the landing of ANZAC forces at Gallipoli, we honour the sacriďŹ ce made by all those who have served and are currently serving.

30 defencetoday