Page 71 - Australian Defence Mag Sep 2020

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
SUSTAINMENT MARITIME 71
THERE they signed a strategic agreement recognising Navantia Australia as the design authority on four classes of RAN war- ships. Not present but also signatories to the agreement were CASG Deputy Secretary National Naval Shipbuilding Tony Dalton and Navantia’s Global President Susana de Sarría.
News of the signing was released in early June, represent- ing the largest transfer of defence intellectual property to Australia in history.
“The Strategic Agreement outlines Defence and Navan- tia Australia’s joint commitment to ensure the best pos- sible support for Australia’s Navantia-designed warships,” VADM Noonan said at the time.
“This represents a significant milestone in the development of the sovereign capability of Navantia Australia and strength- ens Australia’s naval shipbuilding and sustainment industry,” Navantia Australia Chairman Warren King added. “It will see the largest, most valuable transfer of capability that I am aware of in the history of Australian defence industry.”
In essence, the agreement is a means of ensuring that RAN warships designed by Navantia, including the Hobart class guided missile destroyers, the Canberra class landing helicopter docks and their Australian landing craft, and the Supply class auxiliary oiler replenishment ships, are sup- ported through their life of type.
Each platform is currently sustained under agreements be- tween the Commonwealth and primes: BAE Systems Austra- lia for the Hobart class, Naval Ship Management Australia for the Canberra class and landing craft, and Navantia Aus- tralia for the Supply class. According to Navantia Australia Managing Director, Alfonso García-Valdés, these agreements will not change, but will now be ‘fully supported’ in-country.
“The objective of the Strategic Agreement Principles is, as part of the Australian sovereign sustainment capability, to ensure that design integrity, configuration control, upgrades and modernisation of Navantia designed ships, systems and equipment, including the Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) can be fully supported in Australia,” García- Valdés said to ADM. “It extends into the common item man- ager for the supply chain of the common systems across the Navantia designed and built ships; and develop the 3D and digital twin for all the Navantia designed ships.”
DIGITAL TWIN
Whilst unprecedented in scale, the agreement is built on a proven digital approach similar to those in use elsewhere. For example, BAE Systems Australia subsidiary ASC Ship- building is using digital technology at its new Osborne South shipyard in Adelaide. The company is developing a test and trial laboratory in Flinders University’s advanced manufacturing research facilities, where researchers, ASC and suppliers will be developing and testing the technolo- gies that will be used at the new digital shipyard.
BAE Systems intends to transfer $1.5 billion worth of IP and technical data to support the digital shipyard, which will be Australia’s first.
The digital twin approach is also used in aviation. Boeing Australia, for example, has developed one of its most com- prehensive digital twins for the Loyal Wingman Airpower Teaming System. The twin was built using data from sen- sors attached to a physical prototype of the aircraft.
Navantia will bring this tool for its current designs and is also working closely with ANU Medicine investigators to share progress and lessons learnt as part of undergoing R&D projects.
Navantia itself uses a similar concept under its Shipyard 4.0 approach. The digital twin consists of a 3D replica able to be viewed using virtual reality technology. Data is fed into the twin, and it adapts over time to become more accurate to us- age profiles and environmental conditions, allowing Navantia and clients to ‘see’ a ship’s condition from across the globe.
“The Digital Twin is a key concept for Shipyard 4.0, con- sisting of a 3D virtual reality replica of a physical product,” García-Valdés said to ADM. “As the data feeds the Twin,
LEFT: The newest Navantia ship in RAN service are the Supply class ships, both due in country later this year.