Page 66 - Williams Foundation Integrated Force Design Seminar

Designing the Integrated Force: How to Define and Meet the Challenge?

It is a walk through area, which means that cross learning between the two platforms will be highlighted.

This is especially important as the two platforms are software upgradeable and the Aussies might well wish to
modify the mission systems of both platforms to meet evolving Australian requirements.

I had a chance to discuss the standup of the facility with Wing Commander Mick Durant, Officer Temporary
Commanding 92 Wing, Wing Commander David Titheridge, Commanding Officer 11 Squadron and Wing
Commander Gary Lewis, , Deputy Director P-8 and Triton Transition.
Question: Obviously, you are working with the USN in standing up these two platforms. Could you
describe that working relationship?

Answer: We’ve got an incredibly tight connection with the USN at the moment.

In fact, they’re doing all of our initial transition training.

So they’re taking our current P-3 aviators and converting them to P-8 in Jacksonville through the VP-30
training system.

There’s an enduring connection, which everybody’s going to benefit from in the long run.

We are P-3 operators and you need to realize that we developed indigenously a significant set of upgrades
on our AP-3Cs that are not on the US P-3Cs.

In fact, some of these upgrades provided functionality in sensors that are similar to what we have so far on
the P-8.

But the operating concept of the two airplanes is very different and we are working the transition from the P-
3 to the P-8 which is a networked asset both benefiting from other networks and contributing to them as well
as a core operational capability and approach.

The changes that are coming are very exciting.
So we’re moving from an aircraft, which we’ve pretty much maximized, to a new one, which is called P-8, for
a reason.

This is an A model aircraft. So with an A model aircraft comes to the ability to grow.

And we’re going to a new world with a starting point, which allows us to grow.

The capacity to integrate, innovate, and talk to our allies and our own services is a quantum leap in what
we’ve had in the past and it will allow us to be able to do our roles differently.

Shaping that change is one of the key missions that we’ve got.

We are going to innovate and think out of the box compared to P-3 tactics and concepts of operations.

Question: You fly the Wedgetail and the P-8.

Even though the systems are different, there must be some cross learning opportunities?

Answer: There are.

Second Line of Defense

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