Page 21 - Australian Defence Magazine Feb-Mar 21

FEBRUARY – MARCH 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
NEWS REVIEW
INDUSTRY UPDATE 21
September 2021 to April 2023 follow- ing the Commonwealth’s inability to provide all the required Government Furnished Material, and contractor de- lays in meeting contract milestones, the ANAO reported.
Although all three Hobart-class air war- fare destroyers have now been commis- sioned, the ANAO report disclosed that procurement of the Radar-Electronic At- tack (R-EA) capability had been deferred “because currently available technology does not represent a cost-capability benefit.
“The R-EA budget has been preserved to support a more capable system being in- stalled in the AWDs when available,” the report disclosed.
Two key acquisition projects were in- cluded for the first time in the Major Proj- ects Report. Hunter-class frigates (SEA 5000 Phase 1) and Attack-class subma- rines (SEA 1000 Phase 1B) are both in the design stages with capability requirements being refined and as such no materiel scope delivery has yet been approved. ■
ABOVE: As of December Australia had received 30 F-35A Joint Strike Fighters.
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