Page 12 - Australian Defence Magazine Dec-Jan 2021

12 NEWS REVIEW INDUSTRY UPDATE
DECEMBER 2020 – JANUARY 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
LOCKHEED MARTIN ANNOUNCES SME CONTRACTS FOR AIR 6500
LOCKHEED Martin Australia (LMA) has announced contracts with five Australian SMEs to explore Australian sovereign technologies that may be incorporated into the Air 6500 system solution.
LMA, together with SMEs Consilium Tech- nology, Consunet, Shoal, Silentium Defence and Ultra, will investigate and develop capabil- ities that can be integrated into an open archi- tecture framework to support 5th generation concepts and application development.
A key focus of the SMEs will be to ex-
plore technologies ranging from electronic warfare battle management, contested com- munications, cyber protection, advanced systems engineering and passive sensing.
“Over the past four years, the LMA Air 6500 team has been steadily adding to our sovereign presence and expanding our Australian team,” Steve Froelich, Lock- heed Martin Australia Air 6500 Program Executive, said. “Critical to that effort has been our focus on proactively engaging and establishing partnerships with Australian
LEFT: Air 6500 aims to connect disparate ADF systems and platforms across all domains.
industry to identify and invest in ‘best of breed’ local capabilities to deliver a truly sovereign capability solution for Australia.”
LMA has conducted roadshows in every capital city and across large regional cen- tres in Australia, and due to COVID-19 re- strictions, most recently held a virtual in- dustry session with NZ’s defence industry to investigate partnerships for Air 6500.
From these engagements LMA has iden- tified and validated more than 130 Austra- lian SMEs as potential industry partners with technologies that could be incorpo- rated into the program.
“Consilium Technology is excited by this terrific opportunity to contribute to this major defence program that will strengthen Australia’s national security,” Nick Cooper, Consilium Technology’s chief information officer, said. “We are pleased to be collabo- rating with Lockheed Martin Australia to explore and create advanced technologies that will support our nation’s ability to pro- tect against future threats.”
ABOVE: 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment’s Direct Fire Support Weapons Platoon fire a Javelin weapon system.
“The Capability Manager has determined that the Rafael Spike LR2 best meets the needs of the Land 159 Long Range Direct Fire Support Weapon,” the statement con- tinued. “A decision has yet to be made on the Medium Range Direct Fire Support Weapon. There is no impact stemming from this procurement on the dismounted capability under Land 159, nor any effect on Land 400 Phase 2 or Phase 3.
JAVELIN VS SPIKE FOR ADF
KATHERINE ZIESING I CANBERRA
THE State Department made a determina- tion approving a possible Foreign Mili- tary Sale (FMS) to the Government of Australia of Javelin missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $US46 million for 200 missiles, according to a statement from the Defense Security Co- operation Agency (DSCA) notifying Con- gress of this possible sale on October 30.
ADM understands that a Javelin is roughly $US100,000 per missile; what is the rest of the $US46 million sum for? Considering that the Australian Army is moving towards the Spike LR missile, at least for Land 400, this is a large order for a capability that is going to be soon competed under the dismounted capabil- ity. And Land 159’s Lethality program also encompasses elements for such a capabil-
ity in the mid-2020s- Land 159 Tranche 2 includes a requirement for Medium and Long Range Direct Fire Support Weapon capabilities. Land 159 Tranche 2 is sched- uled for first pass consideration in early 2022, with second pass consideration in 2025/25 financial year.
“The procurement of up to 200 Javelin Missiles is a routine sustainment activ- ity to ensure the Australian Army remains equipped to deliver the range of options required by Government until a successor capability is identified through Tranche 2 of the Land 159 Lethality Systems Project,” ac- cording to a statement from Defence. “The total estimated value of USD$46 million for this procurement includes up to 200 mis- siles, technical assistance and related ele- ments of logistics and program support,” De- fence confirmed. “Existing stockholdings of Javelin Missile are in a serviceable condition. There is no requirement for refurbishment.
DEFENCE
LOCKHEED MARTIN