Page 38 - Australian Defence Magazine Feb-Mar 21

Call us now to arrange a free site survey!
Order now the latest BAC catalogue online! www.bacsystems.com.au
38 AIR POWER OVERVIEW
RAAF recently provided one of its seven KC-30s to act as a large receiver during Airbus trials in Spain.
At the Singapore Air Show in Febru- ary last year, Airbus announced that the initial customer for this capability will be the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), however Australia is keeping a close eye on progress.
“Defence has not yet made a decision on A3R and will be watching the imple- mentation program on other nations’ MRTT aircraft,” the spokesperson said.
Defence is also considering upgrades to the KC-30A’s Link 16 tactical data link and self-protection systems and, in addi- tion, the full flight and mission system (FFMS) simulator at Amberley’s visual system is already undergoing an upgrade.
One of the surprises contained with- in the pages of the recent Force Struc- ture Plan was the deletion of funding for two additional KC-30As, as origi- nally forecast in the 2016 White Pa- per, however up to $20.2 billion has been allocated for a replacement, be- ginning in 2032.
“BOEING’S ATS PROGRAM DIRECTOR SHANE ARNOTT SAID THE COMPANY HAD MADE “AMAZING STRIDES” IN TAKING THE PROTOTYPE (THE FIRST OF THREE) FROM A FUSELAGE STRUCTURE TO A FINISHED AIRCRAFT OVER THE PAST YEAR.”
“As part of the 2020 FSP, Defence in- tends to expand the size of the air-to-air refuelling fleet when replacing the KC- 30A,” the spokesperson said. “Investiga- tion into replacement options will not commence until the 2030s.”
F-35 IOC
In the first of several media releases qui- etly distributed during the holiday pe- riod, Defence announced on December 28, that the RAAF’s F-35A Lightning II had achieved the Initial Operational Ca- pability (IOC) milestone.
“For the last two years, Defence has rigorously tested the F-35A fleet to assess aircraft and system performance, and de- clare this important milestone,” Minister
for Defence Linda Reynolds said. “The ADF now has an F-35A squadron (3 Sqn) ready to conduct technologically ad- vanced strike and air combat roles, and another squadron (2 OCU) dedicated to providing world-class training here in Australia.”
The second operational fighter squad- ron, No.77 Sqn at Williamtown, has now ceased Hornet operations and will work up as an F-35A unit during 2021. The third and final RAAF fighter squadron currently slated to convert to the fifth generation Joint Strike Fighter is 75 Sqn at Tindal, which is due to complete Hor- net operations at the end of the year.
Australia has a requirement for 72 F- 35As and 33 aircraft had been delivered by the end of 2020. More than 45 Aus- tralian pilots and 600 maintenance per- sonnel have been trained so far.
MORE POSEIDONS
In a surprise announcement during the Christmas/New Year break, Minister Reynolds also disclosed that two more Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime surveil- lance aircraft will be acquired, bringing the total to 14.
The 12th and last aircraft from the ini- tial Air 7000 Phase 2B requirement was delivered to RAAF Edinburgh in Decem- ber 2019 and FOC predicted to occur in mid-2022. The 2016 Defence White Paper included provision for a further three aircraft at a later date (for a po- tential total of 15 aircraft), but it would appear that force structure planning has determined that just two will meet future requirements.
ADM understands that the timing of the decision was dictated at least in part by the impending closure of Boeing’s P-8 production line in Seattle. The aircraft will be purchased through the existing co-operative program with the US Navy.
“These additional aircraft will en- hance Air Force’s flexibility to support multiple operations and will play an important role in ensuring Australia’s maritime region is secure for genera- tions to come,” Minister Reynolds said. “Defence is committed to this co-opera- tive approach; together we are striving to develop this military technology to the highest standards.”
In the same release, Defence also said that government funding has been ap- proved for the sustainment of the three