Page 53 - Australian Defence Magazine June 2019

type people and the other quarter are in- volved in support and logistics programs. So we’ve got a pretty diverse workforce and a range of programs, like we talked about, providing targeting systems, supporting Chinook helicopters and so on. It’s a very diverse capability.
ADM: What does the manufacturing capability look like?
GIBBS: We do system assembly for a range of Defence projects. We’re currently providing simulators for Joint Terminal At- tack Control (JTAC)/Joint Fires Observer (JFO) training to the Army for the digital terminal control system that we just talked about earlier as part of Land 17. That’s been ongoing, building those systems, installing, commissioning those and then operating those for Army. And also manufacturing the optics for the DAS (Distributed Aper- ture System) on the F-35 aircraft.
ADM: The DAS work in Australia, why is that being done in Australia considering everything that Collins does globally? GIBBS: Well a couple of reasons. One, stra- tegically we saw an opportunity in the mar- ket around optics, and around supporting the F-35 in the long term. We made the strategic decision to establish the capability alongside our sister manufacturing plant in California to do the assembly of these lenses and use that as a basis to build up capability that could be used on other Defence activities, as well as fu- ture support of the F-35 in country.
ADM: When the F-35 starts its support and sustainment activities here in Aus- tralia in a big way, what will Collins be doing for the DAS there?
GIBBS: The DAS lens that we assemble is not a part that requires a lot of repair and maintenance. However, we’ve used the es- tablishment of that capability, clean room, optics test equipment, training, upskilling people to establish other capabilities. We’re in the process at the moment of establishing a repair capability for the projectors that are used in the simulators on the F-35. So be- fore the end of the calendar year we’ll have a repair capability to support the RAAF F-35 simulators, as well as operators in the Asia- Pacific region.
Linking back to why we put the DAS ca- pability here is we’re now looking at adding a manufacturing capability for some of the spare parts that are optics based in those projectors to support them through the life of the program. The simulators for these
5th generation platform see a huge amount of use, so there’s going to be a very signifi- cant demand for those spare parts and we’re planning on establishing that over the next year or two as well.
And then finally, the plan is to build off those capabilities to establish a support ca- pability for the F-35 helmet.
ADM: Where else are those optics used? What else do you do with them?
GIBBS: So the optics in the DAS, are in- frared optics so they are used in a very large range of sensor systems that are used by De- fence. Whether it’s surveillance systems in Army applications, surveillance systems on UAS or aircraft or even surveillance systems that are space based.
ADM; Given the policy settings in the wake of the 2016 White Paper, how has that affected how you do business? GIBBS: I think it’s definitely made some changes on the ground. A number of the things we just talked about including the DAS manufacturing we establishing many years ago are aligned with some of the new sovereign capabilities. As well as having industry engaged and available to support and supply the ADF with systems like the Land 17 targeting system and so on. We were already establishing engineering and manufacturing ahead of the White Paper and I think this has helped put some focus around developing broader Australian in- dustry capability to provide sovereign sup- port in the long term as well as create highly skilled jobs as well.
To me there is an opportunity for CASG and Defence in general to continue to accel- erate and broaden the adoption of that type of philosophy.
ADM: Is Collins exporting from Australia? GIBBS: 100 per cent of the DAS optical assembly we manufacture we export to the US. We also have developed some train- ing systems, which are derivatives of what we’ve created for Army here, and we’ve sold those internationally as well. We do
have a number of export opportunities and activities we have completed over the last few years. We’ve also provided system solutions to a number of customers in the Asia-Pacific region. So yes, we definitely export from our Australian base and want to continue doing that.
ADM: Do you use Australia as a base for Asia-Pacific operations? How are you ap- proaching the Asia Pacific markets? GIBBS: I wouldn’t say it’s the only base. I think it’s a base that we use when it makes sense. There are a number of areas where the Australian entity has a lot of skills and capability and we will lead activities in the region where it aligns with that but we’re not the regional headquarters.
ADM: What are the biggest challenges facing Defence Industry in the next 12 months?
GIBBS: I think the challenge at large for the industry is going to be what occurs over the next six months after the Federal election and how that may effect the business cycle of tenders being released, contracts being signed and extensions on contracts being exercised as changes happen within government.
ADM: From the outside looking in, how would you characterise the First Prin- ciples Review and the whole approach to One Defence? What has that meant for Collins day to day?
GIBBS: Bringing the industry closer in as a partner is really the only way to go. Defence needs to be more agile as threats and environments change more rapidly, so I think the FPR reforms are good. I think they’ve been implemented well. There’s still opportunity for some of those principles to be implemented more rapidly, especially on smaller, lower level activities. I believe we’re seeing change on the bigger programs, but that smaller activities are still a little bit left behind. We’re seeing change and I think there’s opportunity to continue to acceler- ate how that’s adopted across the whole of Defence government and industry.
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“Before the end of the calendar year we’ll have a repair capability to support the RAAF F-35 simulators.”