Page 11 - Australian Defence Magazine November 2021

ADVERTORIAL
Northrop Grumman has a deep heritage in guided weapons and explosive ordnance, from small to medium calibre ammunition, fuses, warheads and propulsion across a range of guided weapons, to AARGM missile, hypersonics and advanced weapons. For decades, Northrop Grumman has protected allied forces by designing, developing and de- livering weapons of increasing complexity and capabilities for expanded missions and domains which are already evolving to meet the emerging threat. We continue to build upon that legacy to pioneer weapons and related Integrated Air and Missile Defence systems that consistently outmatch the range, speed, precision and firepower of fielded adversary weapon systems, with the parameters of current and emerging threats in mind. We do this by intentionally solving the problems of the future through continuous innovation, and in our design methodologies and modular and open system architectures.
A critical enabler for establishing a sovereign guided weapons manufacturing capability in Australia will be technology release, in particular the US technology release that is required to ensure Five Eyes interoperability and access to world-leading, advanced guided weapons technology. Technology release will still require an overar- ching Government-to-Government arrangement to be established to enable strategic alignment and a framework for seeking broader technology release in support of future adaption.
Establishing the required Government to Government agree- ments at all necessary intersections must also be approached from an aligned political, diplomatic, and regulatory whole-of-government perspective to align strategy, phasing of engagement and messaging and practical paths to release success.
The Government to Government arrangements must then support industry to industry engagement. To be effective this will require US Primes, in parallel, to be seeking the equivalent tech- nology release within the same strategic context in clear support of Australia’s policy ambitions. Technology transfer could be direct to Australian industry but is best facilitated through the US Prime’s Australian entity, who is often better positioned to translate the Australian context for the parent company and coordinate the Australian small to medium enterprise engagement at the local
level. This will not only entail establishing the required stakeholder relationships and trust, but also facilitation of Technology Assistance Agreements and the Manufacturing Licensing Agreements, which will also require a longer timeline and forward planned approach for maximum optimisation of benefits.
ABOVE: An interceptor missile is launched by U.S. Army soldiers
at White Sands Missile Range during Flight Test 5 (FT-5), December 12, 2019. This test was the most sophisticated and difficult development test yet for the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS), developed by Northrop Grumman.
ABOVE LEFT: Northrop Grumman supports the warfighter to integrate Air and Missile Defence systems.
ty for Primes to play a collaborative role with US Defence counter- parts. This can enable the ability to influence requirements and to leverage Australian industry into our international supply chains. This cooperation also supports better adaption to the Australian sovereign need.
Northrop Grumman Australia stands ready to support Defence in the further development of the Sovereign Guided Weapons Enter- prise and any future facing response to the landscape of emergent threats. We believe that the next critical steps in formulating the guided weapons manufacturing capability include:
A critical review of the guided weapons capability required to meet the challenges of the evolving threat beyond 2030 be conducted, leveraging the ‘art of the possible’ under AUKUS and the analysis used to inform the 2020 Force Structure Plan, including known Inte- grated Air and Missile Defence imperatives;
Industry, as a fundamental input to capability, being fully harnessed to help assess and provide options to Government for the incremental path forward to achieve this future focused guided weapons capability outcome in partnership;
A whole-of-government tied together approach be adopted to shaping Government to Government arrangements with the United States and United Kingdom Governments in particular, which in turn supports industry to industry engagement with Primes; and
Initial steps be taken to establish a guided weapons enterprise and governance framework to define arc of left and right, to support the ongoing development of the sovereign guided weapons and explosive ordnance manufacturing ambition.
These initial steps should then fundamentally enable the devel- opment of a cohesive future-ready guided weapons strategy that is built out on a solid foundation of next-gen tech and the enduring industry relationships that will be critical to the Enterprise’s on-going readiness and success. ■
Chris Deeble, executive director, strategy, Northrop Grumman Australia.
Cooperative programs, including AUKUS, provide an opportuni-