Page 6 - Australian Defence Magazine August 2018
P. 6

NEWS REVIEW
INDUSTRY UPDATE
BAE Systems Australia wins Future Frigates under Sea 5000
The Future Frigate will be known as the Hunter class.
KATHERINE ZIESING | CANBERRA
THE government has announced that BAE Systems Global Combat Ship design has taken out of the most hotly contested com- petitions in Defence under the $35 billion Sea 5000 program.
The Global Combat Ship, based on the Type 26 currently being built for the Roy- al Navy, was up against the F-5000 from Navantia and the Italian FREMM from Fincantieri.
The nine ships to be known as the Hunter class will be delivered progressively from the late 2020s from Adelaide where BAE Systems will operate the formerly govern-
ment owned and operated ASC Shipbuild- ing as a subsidiary.
“At the end of the program the Com- monwealth will resume complete owner- ship of ASC Shipbuilding, thereby ensur- ing the retention in Australia of intellectual property, a highly skilled workforce and the associated equipment.”
ASC was split into three arms in late 2016 and now operates as separate business across submarines and shipbuilding. The company will be returned to government ownership at the conclusion of the Hunt- er class program, complete with a highly skilled Australian workforce.
“Incorporating the leading-edge Austra- lian-developed CEA Phased-Array Radar
and the US Navy’s Aegis combat manage- ment system, with an Australian interface developed by Saab Australia, the Hunter class will be one of the most capable war- ships in the world.”
The deciding factors behind the decision came down to a mix of a close relationship to the UK and the Australian Industrial Capability (AIC) alongside cutting edge technology in anti-submarine warfare ADM understands.
“BAE expects the Australian Industry Content for the Hunter class build will be 65-70 per cent which will create and secure thousands of jobs for decades. BAE has prequalified over 500 Australian businesses from every state and territory.”
Sonartech to provide subsystems for Collins
SONARTECH ATLAS has signed a con- tract with Thales Australia to supply sonar subsystems into the major upgrade project for the Collins Class submarines.
The contract will see Sonartech deliver its four subsystems to all six of the submarines and the associated shore based reference systems. The contract is an advancement to work begun almost two years ago with Thales and the government. The develop- ment, which is taking place in the company’s Sydney facility, represents the next generation of a number of systems the company has previ- ously delivered to the Navy.
In a statement, Sonartech said that being selected to deliver the sonar data recording, acoustic analysis, self-noise monitoring and integrated intercept subsystems is a signifi- cant milestone. Whilst Sonartech was not involved in the original build program for the Collins submarines, the company be-
came a significant supplier of sonar process- ing and related sub-systems through the Collins Combat System Augmentation and Replacement Combat System programs.
“The contract is recognition of the out- standing capabilities of our team and the systems they build,” managing director Mark Baker said. “In the broader local in- dustry perspective, it’s a demon-
strable commitment in develop- ing the capability and helping to enhance its role within the Australian Submarine Enter- prise, a role which is not just about enhancing the capability of the Collins Class but also de- livering the systems for the Fu- ture Submarine.”
Sonartech, which celebrated 30 years of operation last year, delivered the first Ping Intercept
Passive Ranging Sonar (PIPRS) system to the RAN. The company went on to develop a range of other sonar processing systems which were installed in the Oberon and Collins class submarines.
The company now supplies processors for a range of submarine sonar arrays, includ- ing bow, distributed, flank and towed.
Sonartech has become a significant supplier of sonar systems since the initial Collins build.
6 | August 2018 | www.australiandefence.com.au
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