Page 24 - Australian Defence Magazine Dec19-Jan20

24 DEFENCE BUSINESS PACIFIC
DECEMBER 2019 – JANUARY 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
BOOMERANGER WINS NAVY RHIB CONTRACT
NIGEL PITTAWAY | SYDNEY
FINLAND’S Boomeranger Boats has won a contract to supply 41 Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) to the Royal Aus- tralian Navy, for use on its Arafura class Offshore Patrol Vessels now under construction.
The order, announced at the Pacific 2019 maritime ex- position in Sydney on October 9, covers two davit-launched 8.5 metre Fast Rescue Boats and a single 10.5 metre ramp- launched Special Operations Boat for each OPV, plus five additional vessels to support training and to provide a number of spares.
Deliveries of the first RHIBs will begin in 2021 in time for the delivery of the first of the 12 OPVs, being acquired under Sea 1180 Phase 1, and the remainder will be delivered over the following decade.
Boomeranger Boats CEO Miika Tammi said both boats are existing designs, but customised to meet Australian re- quirements, including the configuration of the deck and the integration of Government Furnished Equipment.
The 8.5 metre FRB 850 is an inboard diesel, stern- drive boat already in service with the Finnish and Ger- man Navies and the 10.5 metre C 1100 outboard-powered
RHIB has been supplied to the Royal Brunei Navy and operational aboard the service’s four Lürssen-designed Darussalam-class OPVs.
Both designs have been successfully trialled by Navy and formed part of Lürssen’s winning bid for Sea 1180.
Tammi said that the vessels for the first two Arafura OPVs, which will be built in Adelaide, will be assembled in Fin- land, but fitted out locally and the company has established Boomeranger Australia to oversee the acquisition and sus- tainment of the fleet. The remaining boats will be delivered to Henderson to support construction of the following ten OPVs and will feature increasing Australian content.
“We are building an Australian supply chain,” Tammi said. “And we have already engaged extensively with local industry.”
ADM Comment: There has been commentary since the show around how The Whiskey Project boat could have ful- filled the requirement. The boat was only launched at Pacific and was not a contender for the program at the decision mak- ing time. ■
APC PARTNERS WITH AISH ON RUGGED COMPUTING
EWEN LEVICK | SYDNEY
APC Technology signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UK specialist AISH Technologies. The agreement is in- tended to drive a significant expansion of expertise and advanced manufacturing of rugged computing solutions in Australia.
APC Technology has experience providing consoles and quality of life systems to RAN’s Hobart class DDGs, and sup- plied radio operator consoles in a modular rackmount system to Raytheon for RAN’s auxiliary oiler maritime operational support capability under Sea 1654.
The company also provided training consoles to BAE Sys- tems for the Navigation Trainer Project at RAAF East Sale, message handling for the Collins submarines and Anzac class ships, and ESM upgrades for P3 Orions.
APC Technology will use the partnership with AISH to diversify its product offering to supply a range of rugged equipment and systems, which are designed to perform and endure harsh environments to meet the demands of next generation defence projects.
Managing Director of APC Technology Scott Begbie said the commitment and sharing of expertise by AISH Technolo- gies will ‘undoubtably’ aid in the transformation and growth of its SA operations.
“As a leading rugged technology provider, we recognise the wealth of knowledge and advanced manufacturing tech- niques AISH Technologies has to offer in the development of diversified military hardware,” Begbie said.
“With Defence representing a significant percentage of our business and growing, the MoU provides opportunity for col- laboration, knowledge sharing and capability development al- lowing us to deliver sophisticated equipment technology for the expanding needs of the Australian military industry.”
“This includes our contribution to notable national proj- ects Sea 5000, Sea 1000 and Collins Sustainment, which will also influence future global partnerships and alliances secured by our business.”
According to APC, plans are in place for the expansion of its manufacturing facilities, which it expects to triple in size within the next two years. APC’s workforce is projected to double in size as a result of the expansion and contract wins.
AISH Technologies developed the Impressed Current Ca- thodic Protection (ICCP) system for submarines and surface ships, which generates an electrical current in the seawater around the hull to cancel out galvanic (single direction) elec- tric currents that can cause corrosion to vessels. ■