Page 62 - Australian Defence Magazine June 2022

62 FROM THE SOURCE WARREN MCDONALD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 61
ADM: Will it be a collegiate solution? Can you deliver it by yourself?
MCDONALD: Yes, it will be a collegiate solution, and no we can’t deliver it on our own. That’s part of the complexity which is 6500 and that’s why we’re working with a large
JUNE 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
MCDONALD: OMNI is the core open system architecture en- gine that enables us to interconnect capabilities such as Ae- gis which is a potential candidate for the fire control aspect.
ADM: Aegis is a Lockheed Martin product though, so necessarily would that be the solution? Would you be open to looking at other solutions from other companies? MCDONALD: Aegis is a potential candidate for the fire con- trol system, building on its history and complementary as- pects with other platforms. It’s on 100 ships, 10 classes of vessel. However, it is one of many options that will be put forward.
ADM: How will Air 6500 play out?
MCDONALD: There’s a saying, and I think it holds a lot of weight, that you overestimate technology advances in the short term but underestimate it in the long term, and we see that daily in our lives. So back to what is the core of 6500’s offering, it’s the open system architecture that en- ables us to capitalise quickly on advances in technology. You can remain ahead of where it’s going and integrate ca- pabilities quickly as new technology becomes available.
Core to such technological advances are Australian SMEs. There are about 130 companies whose capabilities we are
BELOW: Defence’s Air 6500 program is a complex undertaking and will be a major focus for Lockheed Martin Australia
“WE WILL COLLECTIVELY USE OUR SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY TO PROVIDE A SOLUTION FOR A WORLD CLASS INTEGRATED AIR AND MISSILE DEFENCE SYSTEM FOR THE ADF”
industry team, including other De- fence Primes and small-to-medium- enterprises. We will collectively use our systems and technology to provide a solution for a world class integrated air and missile defence system for the ADF. From an early stage we took the approach of being an open system, and we’ve been working to ensure that the openness of the system is continually proven through concrete third-party integration and assessment activities.
I think that has been the most im- portant step that the company has made in recognition of the fact you can’t do it yourself. It is a sophisticated program that requires assistance from counterparts who are equally sophisticated. Collectively we
will provide the right system for Defence.
ADM: How do you decide what is the right system for Defence?
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