Page 96 - Australian Defence Magazine Dec19-Jan20

96 PROJECTS AIR
DECEMBER 2019 – JANUARY 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
A YEAR IN THE AIR
This time last year, we wrote that the high tempo for air programs looked set to continue in 2019. The year met this expectation with one star revealed, upgrade milestones reached and new aircraft delivered.
EWEN LEVICK | SYDNEY
THE highlight of the year was undoubtedly the Avalon Air Show in February, which brought a record 698 companies, 161 official delegations and 38,952 attendees to the industry days. The pub- lic show on the weekend didn’t quite hit the highs of 2017 due to soaring temperatures, but still brought over 130,000 people to see 371 aircraft on display on the ground and in the air.
MINOR PROJECT 6014 PHASE 1
The show set the stage for the reveal of Boeing Australia’s Airpower Teaming System, or Loyal Wingman, a semi-au- tonomous low-cost drone designed to fly alongside manned aircraft. It is the first combat aircraft since WWII to be entirely designed and built in Australia and is also the larg- est investment in unmanned platforms that Boeing has ever made outside the US.
RAAF has contributed $40 million to the aircraft under Minor Project 6014 Phase 1, which will see Boeing Aus- tralia build and retain ownership of three air vehicles. The project is one part product development, one part experi- ment: Boeing Australia is anticipating future requirements with an eye to world markets, whilst RAAF is experiment- ing with the capabilities of autonomy, searching for a stra- tegically viable balance between capability and cost to truly magnify its air power. The Loyal Wingman is almost certain to make headlines again in 2020, with the first test flight set to take place at an undisclosed location in Australia.
AIR 5438 AND AIR 90
Other major announcements from Avalon 2019 included a $245 million contract extension for BAE Systems Australia to support the Hawk-lead in fighter aircraft for an additional two years, the beginning of construction on the $24 million Engine Test Cell upgrade at RAAF Amberley, and a Heads of Agreement for Sovereign Sustainment Contracts signed between Defence, Lockheed Martin and its local subsidiary.
BAE Systems Australia’s work on the Hawk lead-in fight- ers made headlines again when the final Hawk Mk.127 to be upgraded under the Air 5438 Lead-in Fighter Capability As- surance Program (LIFCAP) was delivered to RAAF the week after the airshow. The program involved the replacement of old simulators and training aids with new systems from CAE, the addition of a new mission computers and software package onto each aircraft, Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) upgrades, and the retention of the aircrafts’ ability to use live weapons.
Other aircraft also received IFF upgrades under project Air 90 during the year. The upgrades move each aircraft to the latest NATO system (Mode 5) as well as the new Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) transponder format now used by international air traffic control services.
ABOVE: ADM broke the news earlier this year about the new VIP fleet.
DASSAULT