Page 14 - Australian Defence Magazine March-April 2022

14 NEWS REVIEW
INDUSTRY UPDATE
MARCH-APRIL 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
LMA DELIVERS AIR 5428 PILOT TRAINING SYSTEM TO ADF
LEFT: Lockheed Martin Australia, with Team 21 industry partners Pilatus and Jet Aviation, as well as the RAAF, developed a training system that encompasses PC-21 aircraft
graduated 35 Air Force, 11 Navy and 27 Army pilots.
“Lockheed Martin Australia proudly welcomes the Commonwealth’s accep- tance of the Air 5428 Pilot Training Sys- tem,” Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand Chief Executive, Warren McDonald said.
“This is a significant program milestone for Lockheed Martin Australia, our in- dustry partners and the Commonwealth, as it signifies that this innovative system has been successfully delivered and offers enduring training capability to meet the ADF’s requirements.
“We look forward to advancing and sus- taining the Air 5428 pilot training system with excellence and in conjunction with our Team 21 partners and the RAAF.”
“Lockheed Martin Australia was im- mensely proud of the program outcome,” Lockheed Martin Australia Vice President of Rotary and Mission Systems Opera- tions, Steve Froelich, said.
LOCKHEED Martin Australia has con- firmed it has delivered the Air 5428 Pilot Training System, combining simulators and aircraft, to support the profession- al development of Navy, Army, and Air Force pilots.
Lockheed Martin Australia, in collabo-
ration with Team 21 industry partners Pilatus and Jet Aviation, and the RAAF developed a training system that encom- passes PC-21 aircraft, light simulators, cockpit trainers, as well as mission plan- ning and maintenance support.
To date, the Pilot Training System has
FIRST PRODUCTION IFC-4 TRITON DELIVERED TO US NAVY
NORTHROP Grumman has delivered the first MQ-4C Triton in IFC-4 (Multi-INT) configuration to the US Navy.
Known as B8, this is the first produc- tion Triton to be upgraded to the multi- intelligence configuration to meet the US Navy’s critical maritime intelligence, sur- veillance, reconnaissance and targeting needs. B8 was delivered to Naval Air Sta- tion Patuxent River, Maryland, on 1 Feb.
This is a significant milestone in the Triton program and for Australia's acquisi- tion plans under Air 7000 1B, as the IFC- 4 configuration is the one also specified by the RAAF.
The identical capabilities will allow the RAAF and US Navy to share data and maintain an 'unblinking' autonomous in- telligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting capability over some of the world’s most critical maritime regions.
Australia is slated to acquire at least three and possibly seven Triton aircraft
in the IFC-4 configuration. In US Navy service, the Triton is designed to replace the Lockheed P-3C Orion maritime pa- trol aircraft (and complement the Boeing P-8A Poseidon). It will also replace the US Navy EP-3E Aeries signals intelligence (SIGINT) platform, meaning the aircraft will provide Australia with a significant SIGINT capability beyond that offered by the current AP-3C(EW) Orions and future MC-55A Peregrine fleets.
RIGHT: B8
is the first production Triton to be upgraded to the multi- intelligence configuration
The IFC-4 configuration has sensors which include a Northrop Grumman AN/ZPY-3 Multi-Function Active Sensor (MFAS) X-band electronically scanned surveillance radar under the fuselage, Raytheon AN/DAS-3 electro-optic, infra- red (EO/IR) sensor under the nose, Au- tomatic Identification System (AIS) and a Sierra Nevada AN/ZLQ-1 Electronic Support Measures (ESM) payload for SI- GINT gathering. ■
NORTHROP GRUMMAN
DEFENCE