Page 31 - Australian Defence Magazine Oct 2020

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
HELICOPTERS BATTLEFIELD AVIATION 31
cial availability of those technologies,” BRIG Fenwick said. “Importantly, Army’s close relationship with the US means it can also understand the opportunities for Australian Indus- try in the program and actively promote these with industry. Government has not committed specifically to this program, however, our strong relationship with the US military allows Army to understand the opportunities and future technolo- gies that could benefit the ADF.”
See Table 1 for more information on the programs that BRIG Fenwick and his team have under management.
4. RAN MH-60R – $10,735
5. HATS EC-135 – The cost per hour of the EC-135 is a
commercial-in-confidence arrangement between the Com-
monwealth and Boeing Defence Australia.
It is also worth noting for the above figures that the hourly
cost of operating is based on the Defence Annual Report and is based on a running three-year average of sustainment costs and a five-year average for rate of effort. It also indi- cates the direct cost and not the full cost (full cost includes depreciation, whereas direct cost is more relevant for this
The force in being when it comes to heli- copters includes:
1. F model Chinook (10)
2. Tiger ARH (22)
3. Taipan MRH for both Army and Navy (47)
4. RAN MH-60R Romeos (24)
5. HATS EC-135 for all pilot training (15
noting that these are operated under the Helicopter Air Training System [HATS] with an industry led team by Boeing De- fence Australia)
response and an amount is included for fuel). A statement from Defence also confirmed user satisfaction on the following platforms: 1. MH-60R – Navy is satisfied with the rate
of effort and availability of the MH-60R.
2. EC-135 – Navy is satisfied with the rate of effort and availability of the EC135.
3. MRH90 - MRH-90 has not delivered the availability and rate of effort required.
4. Tiger ARH – ARH has not delivered the availability and rate of effort required.
There are clear differences in how the end user also sees the performance of the fleet as well.
“The CH-47F Chinook is the Army’s standout workhorse and provides the backbone of the ADF’s rotary wing lift support,” BRIG Fenwick said to ADM. This was echoed last month in ADM with Head of Land Capability Major Gen- eral Simon Stuart expressing his support for more of the workhorse in our From the Source interview.
“The aircraft is reliable, has a good cost of ownership, and delivers an exceptional medium assault capability to Army and the joint force,” BRIG Fenwick continued. “This was recently evident in the deployment of the CH-47F Chi- nook fleet on Operation Bushfire Assist 2020.
“THE CH-47F CHINOOK IS THE ARMY’S STANDOUT WORKHORSE AND PROVIDES THE BACKBONE OF THE ADF’S ROTARY WING LIFT SUPPORT.”
6. Blackhawk (20)
With a mix of both European and US based helicopter
frames, the fleet is truly diverse. An earlier push to ration- alise the number and types of airframes that has been pro- gressing for over the past decade is not performing as well as many in Defence would like, ADM understands. Many platforms still have significant cost and reliability issues de- spite years of service.
To put this into perspective, Defence provided the follow- ing breakdown of figures in terms of cost per flying hour:
1. CH-47F Chinook – $8,921
2. Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter – Tiger (ARH-Tiger)
– $34,487
3. Multi-Role Helicopter-90 (MRH-90) (Army & Navy) –
$31,757
CHINOOK
PROJECT
SCOPE
DELIVERY TIMELINE
APPROX. BUDGET
Land 4503 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Replacement
Replacement of the ARH-Tiger
From the mid-2020s
$3.4bn – $5.1bn
Land 2097-4 Special Operations Rotary Wing
Procurement of a light special operations rotary wing aircraft to meet the niche demands of special operations.
From the mid-2020s
$2bn – $3bn
Land 129-3 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Replacement
Replacement of the Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aerial System
From the mid-2020s
$300m – $700m
Land 129-4 Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Procurement of a Small Unmanned Aerial System for use at Battle Group level and below
From the mid-2020s
$100m – $400m
Land 9000 Chinook Capability Alignment Program
During its life, the CH-47F fleet will be upgraded as required to ensure that our aircraft remain supportable through the United States logistic system.
From the mid-2020s
$100m – $500m
Land 4510 Multi-Role Helicopter Capability Assurance Program
Role-specific upgrades to the MRH-90 Troop lift helicopter
From the mid-2020s
$750m – $1bn
Long Range Rotorcraft
Acquisition of long-range rotorcraft to enable land force projection and support at greater ranges
From the mid-2030s
$1.4bn – $2.1bn
Next Generation Rotorcraft
Acquisition of a Next Generation Rotorcraft capability which will replace elements of battlefield aviation with enhanced capabilities.
From the late 2030s
$1.1 – $1.6b
DATA SOURCED FROM DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE, SEPTEMBER 2020.