14.06.2013 Defense Studies

AWD Alliance CEO Rod Equid said the animation will increase understanding of the exceptional capabilities available in the Hobart Class and provide an insight into how the ships can be used in-service.

“The destroyers will provide the Royal Australian Navy with the most capable warships they have ever operated, with a sophisticated range of both offensive and defensive weapons,” Mr Equid said. 

“They will be able to assume a leading Command and Control role with Australian and Coalition forces.”

“The animation will be shown to defence personnel and is also expected to be used for recruiting purposes to help attract people interested in joining the forces and serving on the ships in the future.”

Each AWD will be crewed by 180 men and women from the Royal Australian Navy, with initial training scheduled to start in early 2014.

The AWD Project is progressing well with the first destroyer, Hobart, now almost 50 per cent consolidated at Techport in Adelaide.  Since September last year, 15 of 31 blocks have been joined or are in the process of being joined to form the rapidly growing structure. 

It is expected that the consolidation of the entire hull will be complete early in 2014 with the launch planned for the second half of 2014.

The AWD project is the most complex naval ship construction program ever undertaken in Australia and is currently Australia’s largest defence procurement project.  It is building Australia’s industry capability and skills in the naval shipbuilding sector for future naval shipbuilding projects.

The Alliance is made up of the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) representing the Australian Government, ASC as the lead shipbuilder and Raytheon Australia as the mission systems integrator.

(AWD Alliance)

4 July 2012naval-technology.com

The Australian Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) has awarded a new in service support contract (ISSC) to ASC to provide maintenance for the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) Collins-class submarine fleet.

ASC managing director and chief executive officer Steve Ludlam said that the ISSC aimed to support greater collaboration, cooperation and accountability to ensure that the requirements of RAN were met, while delivering value for money.

"Ensuring the required level of submarine availability and reliability for the RAN will be a key outcome, while ensuring safety and technical integrity requirements continue to be met," Ludlam added.

The ISSC contract, which will replace the previous through life support agreement (TLSA), came into operational effect from 1 July.

"Ensuring the required level of submarine availability and reliability for the RAN will be a key outcome, while ensuring safety and technical integrity requirements continue to be met."

The Collins-class Type 471 diesel-electric submarines have been designed to carry up to 22 missiles and torpedoes, as well as six 533mm forward torpedo tubes with air turbine pump discharge.

Designed by Kockums, the submarines can be armed with Gould mk48 mod 4 torpedo with 267kg warhead, as well as BAE Systems' Stonefish mkIII mines.

In addition to Boeing Sub Harpoon anti-ship missile, the submarines are equipped with active radar homing and features an EDO ES-5600 system, to provide automatic detection, direction finding and identification of radar signals.

Powered by three Hedemora/Garden Island Type V18B/14 four-stroke turbo charged diesel engines, the submarines also feature two Strachan and Henshaw submerged signal and decoy ejectors (SSDE).