Page 20 - Australian Defence Magazine March 2019

DEFENCE BUSINESS
TORPEDOS
A Mk 48 being loaded on a Collins class.
What next for joint Aus-US heavyweight torpedo development?
DUNCAN MACRAE | MELBOURNE
The recent release of a US Department of Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) report concerning the ongoing tests of the Mk 48 torpedo APB-5 modification is a reminder of the ongoing importance maintaining anti-submarine warfare (ASW) superiority is given by the US Navy (USN) and in this case also, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
THE development of Mk 48 capabilities, maintaining it as a superior ASW weapon in the region, is key to this wider objective. Driven by an increasing threat and corre- sponding expansion of allied ASW forces, particularly US and Australian, ongoing Australian involvement with Mk 48 pro- vides benefits to the RAN, Government, and defence industry.
Sitting alongside Canada, the Netherlands and Brazil as current Mk 48 customers, Aus- tralia has a lengthy and intimate role in the development of Mk 48 through a USN/
RAN joint development program. As the next phase in Mk 48 development matures, it is poignant to ask the question as to what role the Australian navy will continue to have in this project and what future opportunities this provides for Australian industry.
The latest operational iteration of Mk 48 technology, the Mod 7 CBASS (Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System) torpe- do, is generally considered to be among the most capable submarine-launched weapons and is a product of the discrete US-Austra- lian relationship. As a step in the evolution
of the Mk 48 heavyweight torpedo (origi- nated through project Sea 1429), the Mod 7 CBASS variant saw enhancements primar- ily at the front end, providing among other things improved broadband processing and Mod 6 modular upgrade potential through the use of CBASS ‘kits’.
Similarly, the APB-5 variant has also focussed largely on the guidance and de- tection ability through enhancements in processor software which, along with improvements to the inter-related Mk 54 lightweight weapon, aim to improve shal- low-water performance. This is unsurpris- ing noting the archipelagic nature of likely future naval combat and the littoral envi- ronment that Australian submarines can operate in given the relative size of the Col- lins class. Acceptance of Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for APB-5 is expected in Q2 2020 having completed operational testing in Q4 2019. Importantly for this analysis, the latter date aligns with the ex- piry of the joint development programs cur- rent Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) extension in November 2019.
20 | March 2019 | www.australiandefence.com.au
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