Page 8 - Australian Defence Magazine June 2021

8 NEWS REVIEW INDUSTRY UPDATE
JUNE 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
NAVY COMMISSIONS HMAS Supply
THE RAN’s operational support capability has received a boost with the introduc- tion of HMAS Supply into service.
HMAS Supply is the first of two new Supply Class Auxiliary Oiler Replenish- ment (AOR) ships. The AORs will en- hance Fleet capability by extending the time a Task Group can spend at sea and the distance travelled.
Minister for Defence Peter Dutton said the AORs are a critical support element to contemporary maritime operations.
“With regional security challenges on the rise, it is more important than ever to have robust operational support capabili- ties for Australia’s maritime assets,” Min- ister Dutton said.
Carrying fuel, water, food, parts and dry cargo, the AORs will primarily pro- vide logistics replenishment to naval com- bat units at sea. They will also be able to support Humanitarian and Disaster Relief operations domestically and regionally.
“Supply will help sustain our lethal na- val capability and will play a critical role
RIGHT: The crew of
HMAS Supply line
the upper decks on completion of her commissioning ceremony at Fleet Base East in Sydney, NSW.
in enabling our Joint Force to maintain the security, sovereignty and prosperity of Australia and our regional partners,” Minister Dutton said.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said Australian Industry continued to carry out an active role in shipbuilding and bringing online new platforms with more advanced capabilities.
“Australian Industry played a key role in the build of the Supply Class Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment ships, including the use of 4,500 tonnes of Australian Blue- Scope steel, and the final fit out of the ship in WA,” Minister Price said.
“As Supply embarks on her long life serving the nation, Australian industry will carry out a central role in the sus- tainment of the capability, creating long term opportunities for Australian busi- nesses and jobs for Australian workers.
“The AORs are an example of making the best use of our Defence platforms, with the introduction of a combat man- agement system not present in predeces- sors, HMA Ships Success and Sirius.”
To efficiently support Navy’s Fleet, Supply will be based at Fleet Base East, Sydney while Stalwart, Supply’s sister ship will be based at Fleet Base West at HMAS Stirling in WA.
PROJECT JAVELIN AIMS TO BUILD AUSTRALIAN HYPERSONIC MISSILE BY 2025
BAE Systems Australia has announced that it will increase its investment in Australia to ‘support the rapid develop- ment of a sovereign high speed weapons capability.’
BAE Systems says it will also draw on the wide-ranging capabilities and exper- tise across Australian industry and aca- demia to build an Australian high speed weapons eco-system with the aim of dem- onstrating a sovereign capability over the next four years.
The company’s “Project Javelin” builds on more than three decades of research by BAE Systems in the design and devel- opment of Australian weapons, autono- mous and hypersonic technologies in- cluding the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, Nulka and the Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile (ASRAAM).
BAE Systems has invested more than $11 million in hypersonics and high
speed weapon research in Australia in the past decade in collaborative programs with Defence, industry and academia.
The company says it will now spend $5 million fast tracking technology devel- opment in 2021 with additional invest- ments planned for the next four years.
As well as hypersonics weapons technol- ogies and capabilities, BAE Systems is also developing technologies to support the na- tion’s defence against high speed weapons.
The announcement follows the Gov- ernment’s commitment to the develop- ment of long-range strike capabilities at the end of last year. The 2020 Force Structure Plan includes an investment of around $30 billion for both high speed strike and defence capabilities, includ- ing hypersonics development, test and evaluation.
“That Australia has a solid foundation of research built over decades means that
the rapid integration of newly developed weapons into the force structure is achiev- able,” BAE Systems Australia Chief Exec- utive Officer Gabby Costigan said. “BAE Systems has a rich history of working closely with defence companies and de- fence customers around the world, partic- ularly US Primes on weapons programs.
“Australia’s future investment in high- speed weapons systems, including hyper- sonic long-range strike and hypersonic and ballistic missile defence, provides the opportunity for the nation to create an en- during sovereign capability and position the country as a major global contributor in this disruptive technology field.
“It’s so important that the Intellectual Property of new weapons technologies resides with Australia so that as well as developing a sovereign capability, we can continue our work to evolve these tech- nologies over time.”