Page 8 - Defence Industry Guide #57

8 DEFENCE NEWS
ADM’s Defence Industry Guide 2023 | Edition 57 | www.defencesuppliers.com.au
TAE AEROSPACE’S F135 ENGINE
DEPOT FULLY OPERATIONAL
TAE Aerospace has successfully achieved all Initial Depot Ca- pability (IDC) requirements for the repair and overhaul of the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, which powers all three variants of the 5th Generation F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. With this achievement, TAE Aerospace’s F135 Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul & Upgrade (MRO&U) facility, or depot, in Australia becomes the first fully operational F135 engine depot in the Asia-Pacific region, supporting F-35 operators from Australia, South Korea, Japan and US forces in the region.
The four-stage process to achieve IDC began with the con- struction of TAE Aerospace’s new MRO&U facility in Ipswich, Queensland. This was followed by the achievement of IDC for the fan module in 2020, and then the power module in 2021. The final element for meeting all IDC requirements was the
LEFT: TAE Aerospace’s F135 engine depot.
qualification of the upgraded F135 Engine Test Cell fa- cility located at Queensland’s Amberley Air Force Base, which occurred earlier this year.
“The investment made by the Commonwealth of Aus- tralia and TAE Aerospace over the past four years will result in long-term benefits for both Australia, with an important sovereign industrial capability now available in country, as well as at the local level; through the creation of many jobs over the coming years,” said TAE Aerospace’s CEO, Andrew Sanderson.
Achieving F135 engine IDC means TAE Aerospace is now authorised to conduct the full MRO&U process from engine teardown, rebuild and testing before returning the completed modules or engines to F-35 operators through the program’s Global Support Solution.
VRA TO DELIVER SPIKE FOR LAND 400
The Spike LR2
VARLEY Rafael Australia (VRA), a joint venture between the Varley Group and Rafael Advanced Defense Sys- tems, have been contracted by the Commonwealth to deliver ‘a quantity’ of Spike LR2 missile to enable in- tegration and acceptance testing for the Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles and the preferred Land 400 Phase 3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
VRA’s contract includes the provision of Spike LR2 Me- chanical and Outdoor Training rounds and delivery of user training. VRA is also in contract with the Commonwealth to support the Technical Certification of the Spike LR2 missile, to enable its introduction into service with the ADF.
“This is a major milestone on our proposed roadmap to establish SPIKE missile manufacturing capability right here in Australia,” Ben Walter, CEO of VRA, said. “Our proposal to Defence includes manufacturing of inert components and integration, rocket propulsion and warhead systems, hot integration and associated storage requirements.
“It aims to facilitate the production and support capabili- ties of our industry partners and local supply chain, and will result in the creation of new high-technology jobs and the upskilling of Australian personnel. In this current political environment, a local manufacturing capability would de- liver the category-superior, 5th generation Spike LR2 mis- sile into service faster than extant acquisition approaches.”
WINGS
public relations
The
DEFENCE INDUSTRY’S COMMUNICATION SPECIALISTS
Award winning track record
with over 30 years' military experience.
Experts in media, marketing, websites and content.
We speak your language. We understand your culture.
wingspr.com.au
Proudly veteran owned and operated.
SUPPLIED
TAE AEROSPACE