Page 44 - Defence Industry Guide #54 2021

44 LAND FORCES 2021 REVIEW
ADM’s Defence Industry Guide 2021 | Edition 54 | www.defencesuppliers.com.au
LAND FORCES BIGGER THAN EVER
There was a big turnout at Land Forces 2021 despite the on-going lockdown in Victoria, a scheduling clash with Senate estimates, and protests both outside and inside the venue.
EWEN LEVICK | ASSOCIATE EDITOR
718 COMPANIES participated and the industry exhibition was 30 per cent larger than the 2018 iteration. 12,766 people attended the show over three days, which the organisers said was ‘one of the largest single industry engagement events anywhere in the world since the onset of the COVID pandemic.’
A slew of announcements were made in the first two days, including the down-select for Land 125 Phase 4. So far Babcock and Team Sabre (which includes Safran Electronics & Defense Australasia, Nova Systems Austra- lia & NZ, and BAE Systems Australia) have said they have been chosen for the next stage in the process, although ADM understands the Commonwealth is also looking at other proposals.
Mick Burgess, head of Business Development, Babcock Australasia, said that the company would use what he called a ‘prime vendor model’ for Land 125 Phase 4.
“This is a supplier agnostic approach,” Burgess explained. “Under this model, all suppliers, particularly Australian suppliers, get an equal opportunity to put their product on the table and have them considered fairly. Second, we don’t make any products in the land domain – suppliers won’t be competing with a Babcock product.”
Meanwhile, Brad Yelland, Chief Technology Officer for
BAE Systems Australia, said Team SABRE will be looking to best-of-breed robotic and autonomous solutions.
“Team SABRE will collaborate to deliver an optimal sover- eign ISS solution. We are committed to bringing our diverse expertise in autonomous technologies and putting the best robotic and autonomous systems in the hands of the warf- ighter,” Yelland said.
Drones were also a major feature at the show. Orbital UAV confirmed that it had exported its first UAV engine to one of Singapore’s largest defence companies.
The delivery came from an agreement signed a year ago for the design, development and initial low rate production of multi-fuel engines for UAVs.
“Delivery of the first engine system to our Singapore defence customer marks the completion of a significant milestone within the engine development program,” Todd Alder, CEO and Managing Director of Orbital UAV, said.
Meanwhile, Insitu Pacific and Perth-based aeronautical technology company Innovaero have signed an agreement that will see Insitu Pacific provide its common architecture software and ground control solutions to enable Innovaero to ‘rapidly progress’ development of its Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) InnovaeroFOX UAS.