Australia Military Developments and Discussions

RPK

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http://www.defencetalk.com/hawkei-australian-light-protected-vehicle-22262/

The Thales Australia team has unveiled the design of its groundbreaking next generation Protected Mobility Vehicle for the Australian Army - the Hawkei.

Following the tradition of the Bushmaster, which is named after a deadly pit viper, the new addition is named after a stealthy species of Death Adder - Acanthophis hawkei - which is native to Australia. "Like its exceptionally venomous namesake, this vehicle packs a punch," said Chris Jenkins, Managing Director of Thales Australia.

"Mobile, versatile, and above all well protected, the Hawkei will provide unparalleled situational awareness, lethality and survivability for a vehicle its size. It incorporates high levels of blast and ballistic protection in a light, highly manoeuvrable and readily air transportable vehicle that has been engineered for peak performance. Hawkei ticks all the boxes for Defence's LAND 121 Phase 4 program to provide a light protected vehicle to replace the Army Land Rover fleet."

The Hawkei has been developed by Thales in Bendigo, Victoria - home of the Bushmaster. Drawing on both international and local expertise provided by Plasan, Boeing, PAC Group and numerous Australian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), the vehicle's design incorporates world-leading innovative technologies.

Mr Jenkins said the Hawkei launch represented an exciting chapter in Australia's local defence capability.

"The Hawkei offers the ADF an Australian solution specifically tailored to unique Australian needs, but one that also meets the operational priorities of other nations such as the United Kingdom LPPV program, the Netherlands vehicle replacement program, and also the requirements of the US Marines.

"Following our extensive work on the Bushmaster, our team in Bendigo, coupled with our local and international partners, has the experience, the skills and the in-depth knowledge to meet ADF requirements now and well into the future.

"Hawkei is a next generation solution underpinned by battle proven experience from Bushmaster. We are confident the Hawkei will establish the new benchmark in Light Protected Vehicles, rendering obsolete the technology used in the competing vehicles. Our team possesses a unique in-country capability, with the capacity to manufacture and deliver the vehicle to the customer's requirements."

Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace, Space, Defence, Security and Transportation markets. In 2008, the company generated revenues of 12.7 billion euros (equivalent of AUD22.1 billion) with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements.
Employing around 3,500 people in over 35 sites across the country, Thales Australia recorded revenues of more than AUD1 billion in 2008.

Background Information
Thales's next generation Hawkei vehicle is specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the Australian Defence Force and key export customers.

This new lightweight Protected Mobility Vehicle achieves high levels of blast and ballistic protection at a mass that allows increased levels of tactical and operational mobility. "In developing the Hawkei, we have taken the lessons learned building the highly successful Bushmaster and, in combination with our partners, applied that thinking and experience to the new vehicle," said Ian Irving, Thales Australia's Land & Joint Systems Division Vice President.

"Hawkei is a new, next generation vehicle representing a genuine advance in design and innovation. All of the technology building blocks are battle proven and validated through operations, and have now been incorporated into a low risk design representing the next generation of vehicle system."

The new ground-breaking design meets the ADF's performance and capability requirements, including systems that allow the Hawkei to become a fully integrated node on the network centric battlefield. The Hawkei is designed to accommodate the future system demands of adaptive campaigning, with C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence) capabilities a fundamental part of its DNA.

A systems approach to vehicle protection includes high levels of mine blast protection integrated into the Hawkei's hull design, while its adaptable ballistic protection technology is designed to be easily removed for air transportation and then refitted by a two-person crew in less than 30 minutes without using specialised equipment. This innovative design allows the Hawkei to be operated in full protection configuration that can then be reconfigured and upgraded for specific mission threats.

The Hawkei also delivers significant manufacturing and through life support cost savings over current ADF platforms. Thales has worked closely with the PAC Group to design a flexible production capability, and with numerous SMEs to maximise value for money across the supply chain.

"Evidence from other Australian defence industry programs suggests that large vehicle fleets based on imported technologies have significantly raised through life support costs. This is not the case with the Hawkei, which efficiently uses existing through life support systems and performance-based contracting models," Mr Irving continued.

"The Hawkei program contributes to the retention of skilled competitive suppliers capable of supporting and repairing sophisticated equipment for the ADF. It also brings more Australian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) into the support pipeline, generating an effective support system that an overseas-based solution simply could not match."
 

RPK

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http://www.defencetalk.com/first-joint-standoff-weapon-c-australia-22268/

TUCSON, Az: Raytheon Company delivered the first Joint Standoff Weapon C to Australia in July for the Royal Australian Air Force's new F/A-18F Hornet fighter aircraft.

In addition to the JSOW C, the RAAF has placed an order for the JSOW C-1, which is currently in production; deliveries will begin in 2010. The JSOW C-1 maintains the land attack capability of JSOW C and adds a moving maritime target capability by incorporating a datalink. This enables the JSOW to receive target updates as it flies to its objective.

"We're thrilled that Australia is a member of the growing JSOW family," said Phyllis McEnroe, Raytheon's JSOW program director. "The on-time delivery of the JSOW C positions Australia well for its 2010 JSOW C-1 deliveries."

The combat-proven JSOW is a family of low-cost, air-to-ground glide weapons with a range of 70 nautical miles (80.5 statute miles). It employs an integrated GPS-inertial navigation system and terminal uncooled infrared seeker that guides the weapon to the target. JSOW is integrated on all variants of the F/A-18, F-15, and on several variants of the F-16, B-2 and B-52 aircraft. The weapon is currently being integrated on the Joint Strike Fighter.

Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide
 

RPK

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Navantia Lays Keel for the First LHD for Australia | News at DefenceTalk




Navantia Lays Keel for the First LHD for Australia
News — By Editor on September 25, 2009 at 5:19 am

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Navantia has laid on 23th. September the keel for the LHD “Canberra” at the Ferrol shipyard. It is the first of the series of two that Australia contracted with Navantia in 2007.

The ceremony has been presided by the Chief of the Australian Navy, Admiral Russ Crane and by Aurelio Martínez, CEO of Navantia. Amongst other relevant attendants we must highlight the Deputy Premier of South Australia, Hon. Kevin Foley, the Australian Ambassador to Spain and members of the Spanish Navy.

This milestone consisted of the erection in slipway 3 of the 4 blocks of the keel (numbers 320, 322, 323 y 328) out of a total of 104 blocks. This ship was started exactly 12 months ago, and after this milestone, the ship will be launched in 18 months and it is expected to be commissioned to BAE Systems (Tenix in 2007). The second ship will be started in 2010 and will have the same sequence.

The design of these ships is based in the LHD “Juan Carlos I”, currently under construction for the Spanish Navy, and was selected over the French company Armaris offer, because it completely fitted the Royal Australian Navy requirements.

The contract reaches 1,411.6 million euros, being 915 million euros for Navantia, that includes the design and construction of the ships, as well as some equipment as engines and platform control system, that will be provided by Navantia. Both contracts mean a very important milestone for Navantia, as its biggest export operation in the history, reaching 1,200 million euros and will make of Navantia the reference naval designer and shipbuilder in the world.

Main characteristics:

■Length overall: 230.82 m
■Breadth maximum: 32 m
■Height flight deck: 27.50 m
■Full load displacement: 27,831 t
■Full load speed: 20.5 kn
■Range (@15 knots): 8,000 nautical miles
■Crew: 243 + 36 additional
■Embarked forces: 978 + 146 additional
■Hangar: 990 m2
■Flight deck: 4,750 m2
■Light cargo garage: 1,880 m2
■Heavy cargo garage: 1,410 m2
 

Martian

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One minor quibble. The Eurofighter Typhoons were delivered to Austria, not Australia. Keep up the great articles.
 

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Oshkosh Defense Submits Vehicles for Australian Land 121 Phase 4
12 October 2009

OSHKOSH, Wis. --- Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, has submitted its MRAP All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) and SandCat vehicle as part of two proposals with Plasan SASA, Ltd., and JLG Australia for the Australian Department of Defence’s (DoD) Land 121 “Overlander” Phase 4.

The Land 121 program’s Phase 4 involves the procurement of 1,300 Protected Mobility Vehicles-Light (PMV-L). The M-ATV, which Oshkosh Defense produces for the U.S. Armed Forces, is a well-protected and highly mobile combat vehicle. Using the Oshkosh TAK-4 independent suspension system provides a 70 percent off-road mission profile capability on unimproved roads and rugged off-road terrain.

The SandCat is a lightweight and versatile protected vehicle that features a durable modular armor system, which can be configured to meet a mission’s threat level and payload requirements. Oshkosh submitted the SandCat’s Transport variant for the program.

“Our M-ATV and SandCat offerings provide two separate but equally viable high-quality options for the Australian Defence Force,” said Andy Hove, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Defense. “We have a successful history of working with Plasan to integrate state-of-the-art armor on our mission-proven vehicles. The manufacturing capabilities that our sister company JLG brings to the proposals will benefit the customer with in-country vehicle assembly and aftermarket service and support.”

Both the Oshkosh M-ATV and SandCat feature advanced armor systems developed by Plasan, a renowned designer and manufacturer of combat-proven armor solutions. Most of the armor will be produced in Australia. Plasan developed and produced the armor used on more than 5,000 Mine Resistant Armor Protected (MRAP) vehicles and thousands of Armored Cab Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacements (MTVR).

JLG, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, would use its Australian facilities for vehicle assembly and to provide integrated logistics support for the program. The Oshkosh Defense global operations include service, repair and parts distribution, in addition to remanufacturing in theaters of operation.

The M-ATV was designed to successfully operate in the most challenged environments. Its superior mobility is achieved through the Oshkosh TAK-4 system, which has undergone more than 400,000 miles of testing with the U.S. military. The system is featured on more than 10,000 MTVRs used by the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy Seabees, and is being retrofitted on more than 2,400 legacy MRAPs for improved mobility in Afghanistan. The U.S. government has ordered 5,219 M-ATVs to date to meet the urgent need in Afghanistan.



Source: Oshkosh Corporation
 

RPK

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Australia To Buy BAE Howitzers

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The Australian government will purchase 35 lightweight towed 155mm howitzers as the first element of a program to re-equip the Army with new artillery.Defence Minister John Faulkner said in a statement that the Army will acquire four batteries of BAE System’s M777A2 howitzers as part of a $493 million artillery replacement project known as Land 17. Purchase of an associated digital terminal control system for the howitzer will be considered by the Australian government in the second half of next year, he said.The M777 is used by U.S. and Canadian forces. To date, BAE has received orders for 862 of the Chinook helicopter-transportable weapons. Six hundred have been delivered.Faulkner said the second phase of the artillery enhancement package will include procurement of a self-propelled artillery system that will be capable of providing fire support to highly mobile mechanized forces.
 

happy

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Sir, this appears to be a thread primarily about Australia. Maybe this can be changed from China to the relevant section in DFI.
 

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