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Onboarding Australian industry to deliver Attack class submarine outboard flank array

The Morrison Government’s Future Submarine Program continues to progress with the contract signing for the design of the primary underwater sensor of the submarine.

The contract has been signed with Thales UK Ltd, through Lockheed Martin Australia, for the design of the outboard flank array and partnering arrangements with Australian industry.The outboard flank array forms part of the Sonar Subsystem, which is used when the submarine is submerged.This vital piece of equipment acts as the submarine’s eyes and ears, providing situational awareness for the crew.Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC said the design of the outboard flank array is vital to the operational effectiveness of the Attack class submarine and its regional superiority.

“Thales is a global leader in underwater systems and the world’s top exporter of sonars and related systems for naval forces. This contract builds on the work Defence already has with Thales to upgrade the sonar suite of the Collins fleet,” Minister Reynolds said.“Following a competitive tendering process, Thales is committed to establishing the Australian industrial capability needed to support the sovereign build, operation and sustainment of the Attack class submarine.“This is a significant step in the right direction to build up Australian capability for the Future Submarine Program. By bringing together the best underwater sensing technology with local industry, it will ensure we deliver a sovereign regionally superior submarine.”

Thales will support and promote Australian Industry Capability by:

Conducting a proportion of the design phase in Australia by engaging one of three Australian‑based companies, Thales Australia, Babcock Australia, and BMT Group, through a competitive process;*Leveraging existing in-country capabilities that support other Australian Defence Force assets, including the Collins class submarine, for the assembly, integration and sustainment phases;An industry development package for the transfer of industrial capability to Australia to enable the provision of critical sub-assemblies and line replaceable units for both initial supply and sustainment.Following the successful completion of the design phase, further work will be contracted for the manufacture of the subsystem from 2023.

BRP Antonio Luna Comms System to Undergo Test in SoKor

 

The Philippine Navy (PN)'s prospective missile frigate, BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151), will undergo a test of its communications system as part of its second sea acceptance trials this week.The test would be conducted off the waters of Ulsan, South Korea, PN public affairs office chief Lt. Commander Maria Christina Roxas said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) Monday.

"Comms (communications) testing will be on December 7 to 11 on Ulsan waters," she added.This phase will involve testing the ship's communications system in various seagoing scenarios. Roxas said the first sea acceptance trials, held from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, yielded satisfactory results."The first week of sea acceptance trial (was) completed with satisfactory results. The test conducted are the vessel performance, propulsion control, navigation systems, and auxiliary machinery," she added.

More systems tests or trials are to be conducted in the coming weeks.She added that the third batch of PN personnel, assigned to the BRP Antonio Luna, and scheduled for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) training have already arrived in South Korea on Nov. 27 and are now observing their 14-day mandatory quarantine before starting their training.BRP Antonio Luna was launched on Nov. 8, 2019 at the Ulsan facility of South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries. Its keel-laying on May 23, 2019, coincided with the launch of BRP Jose Rizal.

The contract for the BRP Jose Rizal and the BRP Antonio Luna was placed at PHP16 billion with another PHP2 billion for weapon systems and munitions.These ships are capable of conducting anti-air warfare (AAW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and electronic warfare (EW) operations.Earlier, PN chief Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said the BRP Antonio Luna could have been delivered this October if not for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

"If not for this Covid-19 pandemic, the second frigate (FF-151) should have been delivered by October this year but because of this pandemic, it will be moved to the first quarter of Calendar Year 2021," he added in an online forum. 

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