Page 50 - Australian Defence Mag Sep 2020

50 LAND WARFARE SOLDIER SYSTEMS
SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
SOLDIER AS A SYSTEM GAINING GROUND
The soldier as a system is not a new concept but one that is driving the spiral upgrade programs that sees Australian soldiers equipped with a range of integrated technologies. The path is long and winding but there have been successes along the way.
KATHERINE ZIESING | CANBERRA
DDELIVERED under a range of programs like Land 200 (Land 125 and Land 75), Land 53, Land 159 and many more, inte- grated soldier combat systems (SCS) have so many moving parts it can be hard to track what’s what.
As explained by Major General Andrew Bottrell in an in- dustry briefing in June last year, the whole investment in the Integrated Soldier Systems Branch is a little over $4 billion.
Figure 1 is a good overview of the major platform side of the equation; and there have been some recent movements on the industry partnership side of the equation. In late July, the Commonwealth announced that NIOA had been selected as the industry partner to deliver Tranche 1 under a $7 million prime contractor contract.
The Lethality System project under Land 159 will ensure ADF ground combatants maintain a capability advantage
over potential adversaries to beyond 2030, and will be de- livered in three Tranches as follows:
– Tranche 1 includes the Sniper System and the Close Combat System (comprising fighting knife, pistols, shotgun and the assault breaching system) and is due for Govern- ment consideration early 2022
– Tranche 2 includes the Close Combatant Assault Rifle, Machine Guns, Direct Fire Support Weapons and Grenades and is due for Government consideration in FY2024/25
– Tranche 3 includes enhanced munitions and emergent
ABOVE: Major Andrew Stocker from 7RAR, communicates over radio during a mission to secure the town of Raspberry Creek during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019.