Page 98 - Australian Defence Magazine Dec-Jan 2021

98 PROJECT REVIEW MARITIME
DECEMBER 2020 – JANUARY 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
SHIPBUILDING PLAN FULL STEAM AHEAD
A demanding year for the naval domain has seen the conclusion of a three-decade RAN presence in the Middle East and planning underway for an increased focus, as set out in July’s Defence Strategic Update, on the Indo-Pacific and Australia’s immediate region.
JULIAN KERR | SYDNEY
WHILE Australia remained prepared to make military con- tributions elsewhere, Prime Minister Scott Morrison dis- closed that Defence had been directed to prioritise the ADF’s geographic focus on the area ranging from the northeast Indian Ocean, through maritime and mainland Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and the Southwest Pacific.
Planned expenditure of $75 billion on maritime capabil- ity through to 2029 will include continued investment on the 12 Attack-class submarines, nine Hunter-class frigates and 12 Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), Mor- rison disclosed.
Fresh investment will include a new integrated under- seas surveillance system, remotely-piloted
aerial systems, advanced maritime mines,
up to eight new vessels optimised for mine countermeasures and hydrographic sur-
vey, six Cape- class patrol boats, and two multi-role sealift and replenishment ships additional to the two Supply-class auxil- iary oilers about to enter service.
Separately, about $800 million will be spent on up to 200 AGM-158C long range anti-ship missiles (LRASM) which will be available in 2021 for the RAAF’s F/A-18F Super Hornets.
The LRASM’s range of 370 kilometres
is nearly triple the reach of the RGM-84 Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles currently deployed on the RAN’s
Hobart-class air warfare destroyers and Anzac-class frig- ates and could potentially be fitted to both classes and the Hunter class, utilising the ships’ Mk 41 vertical launch sys- tems or topside launchers.
INTERNATIONAL DEPLOYMENTS
The last RAN ship deployed to the Middle East, HMAS Toowoomba, returned to Australia in June and Australia’s timebound commitment to the US-led naval coalition pa- trolling the Strait of Hormuz under the International Mar- itime Security Construct (IMSC) has not been extended beyond December 2020.
Notwithstanding COVID-19 concerns, a five-ship Task Group successfully completed three months of engagement with regional partners across Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
The Task Group, comprising HMA Ships Hobart, Can- berra, Stuart, Arunta and Sirius, exercised with 11 regional partners, conducted advanced air-sea integration drills with the RAAF and the US Navy in waters off Guam, assisted in the successful search and rescue of three sailors in the Federated States of Micronesia, and participated in the two weeks of Exercise RIMPAC, where the Task Group Com- mander, Captain Phillipa Hay, became the first female in the 49-year history of the exercise to lead a RIMPAC Task Force.
An at-sea-only event in light of COVID-19 concerns, RIMPAC culminated in a mid-intensity high-end warfighting activity, which fol- lowed two weeks of gunnery, missile, anti-
“NOTWITHSTANDING COVID-19 CONCERNS, A FIVE-SHIP TASK GROUP SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THREE MONTHS OF ENGAGEMENT WITH REGIONAL PARTNERS ACROSS SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC.”
submarine and air-defence exercises. These included the launch of a Stan- dard SM-2 anti-air missile by HMAS Ho- bart, Harpoon firings by HMAS Stuart and Arunta, Evolved Sea Sparrow surface to air missile firings by HMAS Stuart, and Hellfire air to surface missile launches by Hobart and Arunta’s embarked MH-60R
helicopters.
Key logistics nodes, including Guam
and Singapore, were established during the Task Group’s 115-day deployment in order to deliver es- sential stores and parts. These stores were then transferred to ships via contactless arrangements, with only three port
visits taking place.
Support for domestic operations including border protec-
tion activities under Operation Resolute continued with due regard to relevant state and territory COVID restrictions. Do- mestic port visits outside home ports were mostly cancelled.
November saw the RAN rejoin for the first time since 2007 the annual Exercise Malabar involving the US, India and Japan. Australia withdrew from the manoeuvres be- cause of concerns over relations with China but accepted India’s invitation to the 2020 iteration in the Bay of Ben- gal as an opportunity, as stated by Defence Minister Linda