Page 142 - Australian Defence Magazine Sep-Oct 2022

142 SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT HELICOPTER SUSTAINMENT
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SUSTAINING
ARMY’S ROTARY
WING FLEET
Australia’s selection of the Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian as the replacement for Army’s Airbus Helicopters Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter fleet has opened up some intriguing possibilities for sustainment onshore, given Boeing’s long history of helicopter sustainment in Australia.
MIKE YEO | MELBOURNE
THE selection of the Apache Guardian in January 2021 un- der the Land 4503 program is estimated to be worth $4-5 billion and was made following a Request for Information (RFI) in July 2019.
The RFI called for 29 helicopters, of which 24 will be based at a single location with two operational armed re- connaissance helicopter squadrons. Five will be stationed at the Australian Army Aviation Training Centre at Oakey, Queensland for training Army pilots and battle captains.
The 24 Apaches will probably replace the two opera- tional Tiger squadrons currently based at Robertson Bar- racks in Darwin in the NT as part of the 1st Aviation Regiment.
“THE 24 APACHES WILL PROBABLY REPLACE THE TWO OPERATIONAL TIGER SQUADRONS CURRENTLY BASED IN THE NT AS PART OF THE 1ST AVIATION REGIMENT”
APACHE ACQUISITION
The RFI had also stipulated an initial operational capability of 12 helicop- ters in 2026 and final operational ca- pability with all 29 aircraft two years later. The Apache won out over Bell’s offering of the AH-1Z Viper and Air- bus Helicopters’ efforts to sell an up- grade for the Tiger.
The decision to acquire the Apache was made under the Australian gov- ernment’s “Smart Buyer” policy, which allows for sole-source selec-
701D engines with 58 installed and six spares, 29 AN/ASQ- 170 Modernised Target Acquisition and Designation Sight with AN/AAR-11 Modernised Pilot Night Vision Sensors (M-TADS/PNVS), and sixteen AN/APG-78 Longbow Fire Control Radars.
The package would also include Manned-Unmanned Teaming-2 (MUMT-X) video receivers and associated Air- Air-Ground kits, with this capability being a key differen- tiator between the Apache Guardian from earlier variants.
At the time of the selection Defence said that it would continue to consider options to improve upon the Apache that maximise opportunities for the local defence industry, including warehousing services, training development, engi-
tion without a competition if there is a clear preference for a particular platform.
The acquisition will come under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, with a June 2021 State Department announcement that Australia’s request for the AH-64E had been approved. The request also included 64 T700-GE
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