Page 124 - Australian Defence Magazine May 2022

124 FROM THE SOURCE VICE ADMIRAL MICHAEL NOONAN
MAY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
to our Navy, the Scan Eagle fixed wing unmanned air ve- hicle and the Schiebel S-100 Camcopter are both currently in use and demonstrate the importance of RAS for intel- ligence gathering and surveillance.
Our Navy also has multiple projects already leveraging Unmanned and Autonomous Systems including the Sea 1770-1 Rapid Environmental Assessment, which is acquiring Remus 100 autonomous underwater vehicles for underwater survey, and the Sea 1778-1 Deployable Mine Countermea- sures, which is acquiring small Bluefin 9 and large Bluefin 12 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) to detect under- water objects. This year, Navy will host Autonomous Warrior 2022, which will be a great opportunity to showcase RASAI
capability with future opportunities available in forthcom- ing Blocks of Sea 129 Phase 5 from 2024.
ADM: Can you provide any more details on the Toma- hawk cruise missile announcement as part of the AUKUS agreement?
VADM NOONAN: The AUKUS agreement has provided a wide variety of opportunities for the development and enhance- ment of technology and capabilities, certainly the most no- table being the submarine capability, that we will be pursuing.
The maritime strike capability is another important announcement that will be addressed through the Toma- hawk Cruise Missile program. This will enable our Navy to achieve advanced long-range strike capabilities to increase our ability to deliver military power with greater range and precision and will be integrated into our Hobart-class De- stroyers by the mid-2020s.
The acquisition of Tomahawk is a key initiative that dem- onstrates our commitment to our strategic partnerships and enhances the interchangeable nature of our future maritime force.
ADM: Are you satisfied with the remedial progress on the Hunter-class?
VADM NOONAN: Yes, I am confident in the capability that this ship will deliver as the Hunter-class is considered a world class capability. I am the chair of a capability management
CONTINUED ON PAGE 126
“NAVY IS A KEY COMPONENT OF THE JOINT INTEGRATED AIR DEFENCE CAPABILITY OF THE ADF”
projects with industry, academia and international partners.
ADM: What is the latest update on Sea 129 Phase 5?
VADM NOONAN: Sea 129 Phase 5 is the largest maritime UAV program of its kind on the global market and includes three blocks: Block 1 in- cludes seven ‘bricks’ to be operated
from the Arafura-class OPVs and Anzac-class frigates, Block 2 will expand the capability to other ship classes from 2029, and Block 3 will update all systems from 2034. By incorporating new technology through block upgrades every five years, the program supports the development of Australia’s Unmanned Aircraft System industry. This pro- vides our Navy with a leading-edge maritime surveillance
HMAS Supply (left) and HMAS Adelaide conduct a replenishment at sea during Operation Tonga Assist 2022
DEFENCE