Page 19 - Australian Defence Magazine Oct 2020

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
MRO ARMY 19
THE upgrade was somewhat obscurely flagged in the 2020 Forces Structure Plan as ‘Tank Assur- ance’, costing from $600 million to $1 billion.
However, it was not clear until now whether Ar- my’s 59 legacy Abrams, acquired in 2007, were to be upgraded in the US or handed back, with that option in- volving Australia buying newly-modernised M1A2 Abrams
direct from US production.
“By leveraging off the US model of upgrading by replace-
ment, the Commonwealth can realise economies of scale without affecting the current fleet capability,” the spokes- person said.
“These M1A2 main battle tanks will be employed to con- duct the upgrade by replacement of the current in-service M1A1 Integrated Management (AIM) Situational Aware- ness (SA) Main Battle Tanks. This will allow the retention of our current capability while the upgrade from seed stock is conducted.”
Land 907 Phase 2 achieved Gate 1 approval in October 2019. Gate 2 approval is currently anticipated in September 2021 and delivery of upgraded tanks is expected to begin in late 2024 with the in-service date around 2025, the spokes- person said.
The US military is upgrading its own analogue M1A1 MBTs to the digital
M1A2 configuration via System Enhancement Packages (SEPs), the most advanced of which is currently SEP Ver- sion 3 although its selection for Australia has not been con- firmed by Defence.
SEP V3 includes the Trophy-HV active protection sys- tem, onboard diagnostics, upgrades to the vehicle’s digital architecture to host a gigabit ethernet databus, and a new power management system and generator.
It also adds a third-generation forward-looking infrared sensor and the ability to fire the US Army’s under-develop- ment 120mm advanced multipurpose tank round that merg- es several capabilities into a single piece of ammunition.
DEEP MAINTENANCE
Army has meanwhile begun a four-year deep level mainte- nance activity across 42 of its M1A1s at the Joint Logistics Unit Victoria at Bandiana – the number required in order to maintain preparedness and raise, train
and sustain requirements until Initial Operating Capability (IOC) is achieved with the MIA2s being acquired under Land 907 Phase 2.
The activity started in January and is addressing obsolescence, long-lead time and life-of-type spare parts, sub-systems and inventory. It follows a tank refresh program addressing aspects of service- ability that involved all 59 tanks and ran from October 2014 to May 2020.
“ARMY HAS BEGUN A FOUR-YEAR DEEP LEVEL MAINTENANCE ACTIVITY ACROSS 42 OF ITS M1A1S AT THE JOINT LOGISTICS UNIT VICTORIA AT BANDIANA.”
Additional Hercules Armoured Re-
covery Vehicles will also be acquired
under Land 907 Phase 2, and the 13 in-service M88A2 platforms will be upgraded to the M88A3 configuration which features an improved powertrain, suspension and tracks, increasing the vehicle’s speed, survivability and reli- ability. The M88A3 also features a seventh road wheel to reduce ground pressure.
Managed jointly with Land 907 Phase 1 as Defence’s Fu- ture Armoured Capability, Second Gate approval in Sep- tember 2021 is also anticipated for Land 8160 Phase 1.
This will introduce to Army the ability to breach explo- sive obstacles such as mines and IEDs; the ability to me- chanically and explosively breach non-explosive obstacles such as rubble and wire by pushing, pulling, digging or fill- ing; and under the protection of armour provide bridging over wet or dry gaps greater than three metres and allow for forward movement on the battlefield.
LEFT: Australian Army soldier Gunner Jed Adams (right), from 1RAR, fires an M777 lightweight towed howitzer at Shoalwater Bay during Exercise Diamond Strike 2018.