Page 16 - Australian Defence Magazine October 2019

NEWS REVIEW
INDUSTRY UPDATE
The third and final Dassault Falcon 7X arrives in Canberra.
Air Vice-Marshal (AVM) Cath Rob- erts, Head of Air Force Capability, made an announcement at the arrival event about the partnerships between Industry and Defence.
“The Air Force has enjoyed decades of successful experience operating Dassault aircraft, from the Mirage III Fighter to the Falcon 20 and Falcon 900 Business Jets, Air Vice-Marshal Roberts said.
“This long and successful partnership between Air Force and Dassault has con- tinued seamlessly as we introduce the last of the Falcon 7X aircraft today.
“Our SPA fleet sustainment partner, Northrop Grumman, has a long history of professional maintenance services that has achieved excellent SPA availability for Air Force. As a result, Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract to continue to sustain our SPA fleet, including the two Boeing Business Jet aircraft.
“Strong stakeholder relationships are key to success of any project. We look forward to strengthening these rela- tionships with Dassault and Northrop Grumman as we move from acquisi- tion to sustaining the fleet,” AVM Cath Roberts said.
The aircraft is leased through Northrop Grumman and will be operated by Num- ber 34 Squadron based at Defence Estab- lishment Fairbairn in the ACT.
Final VIP aircraft arrives
THE third and final Dassault Falcon 7X aircraft has been delivered to RAAF as it completes part of a project to upgrade the Special Purpose Aircraft (SPA) fleet.
The Falcon 7X is an advanced business jet designed and manufactured by Das- sault Aviation. It includes satellite com- munications to enable and support gov- ernment business while airborne.
ADM Deputy Editor Nigel Pittaway re- vealed that the aircraft were nearing com- pletion in April. The first aircraft, wearing the serial number A56-001, flew from the manufacturer’s facility in Bordeaux to Lit- tle Rock, Arkansas on March 30, to have its VIP interior fitted.
The government confirmed the story but remained quiet ahead of the federal election.
Lockheed consolidates Sikorsky operations in Nowra
SIKORSKY Australia, a Lockheed Mar- tin company, will close its Brisbane opera- tions by 31 January 2020 and consolidate all activities to Nowra, adjacent to the Australian defence customer facility at HMAS Albatross.
In a statement, the company said this move will strengthen focus on the delivery of core defence business across its portfolio for the ADF, including the MH60 Romeo program.
This will impact the Brisbane work- force and Lockheed Martin Australia says it is committed to supporting employees through this consolidation process, in- cluding redeployment within Sikorsky Australia and the wider operations and programs of Lockheed Martin Australia.
“Lockheed Martin Australia is engaged in the integration and sustainment of ad- vanced technology systems, products and
services across space, air, land, sea and cy- ber domains in every mainland state and territory,” Lockheed Martin Australia In- terim Chief Executive, Scott Thompson, said.
“Our diverse programs form a critical backbone for Australia’s current and fu- ture defence capa-
bilities including
Rotary Wing Sys- tems and sustain- ment, next genera- tion pilot training, combat systems
A RAN Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopter casts a shadow on a river, during a training flight from HMAS Albatross.
integration and surveillance across air, sea, land and space domains.
“We have significant opportunities for growth across all of our Australian busi- ness and we will continue to deliver excep- tional program performance and leading innovation for Australia.”
16 | October 2019 | www.australiandefence.com.au
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