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Australian Collins Class Submarines to Receive Sonar Upgrades

 Navy’s Collins Class submarines will undergo significant upgrades to its sonar systems here in Australia through a multi-million dollar contract with Thales Australia.

The two contracts, worth around $23.7 million, are for the design and implementation of the Mine and Obstacle Avoidance System and the High Frequency Intercept Array for the submarine fleet.The upgrades will not only enhance the capability of the Collins Class fleet but will provide a boost to Australian Defence industry and support Australian jobs.Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC said both the Mine and Obstacle Avoidance System and High Frequency Intercept Array are important parts of the upgrades to the Collins sonar system.

“Our six Collins Class submarines are a highly capable and regionally superior capability that are only halfway through their operational life,” Minister Reynolds said.“To ensure this capability maintains its edge, we are upgrading and improving its systems including through sonar upgrades.

“The purpose of a Mine and Obstacle Avoidance System is to acoustically detect obstacles, including mines, which pose a threat to the submarine. The High Frequency Intercept Array detects high frequency noises including sonar transmissions.“With more than 20 years of investment in Australia by Thales and Defence, these upgrades will complement broader improvements to the sonar capability of the Collins Class, ensuring the regional superiority of the fleet into the future.

“Because of this Government’s action, we have a Collins Class submarine that is now exceeding the Royal Australian Navy’s availability requirement.”Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said Thales had extensive experience working on the Collins fleet and other Australian-based companies would be engaged throughout the contracts.“These contracts will include about 80 per cent of work being completed by Australian industry,” Minister Price said.

“We can expect these contracts to support 30 new jobs with Thales Australia in Rydalmere, NSW and additional jobs along the supply chain – jobs that will continue throughout the contracts.“Once again, we are backing Aussie businesses and creating jobs in our defence industry, which is in turn helping the national economy on its road to recovery after COVID-19.”

NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney, Stuart Ayres said, “Thales Australia has a long history of supporting the Royal Australian Navy with sonars, periscopes and other electronic systems proven with the fleet at sea.“The sonar systems developed by Thales Australia represents a major contribution to an enduring sovereign sonar capability for the nation.”

Japan Moves Ahead with JNAAM co-Development

 The cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on 21 December approved funding for the co-development of a Joint New Air-to-Air Missile (JNAAM) with the UK (photo : Japanese MoD)

As part of its fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget, the cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on 21 December approved plans to move ahead with the co-development of a Joint New Air-to-Air Missile (JNAAM) with the United Kingdom.Specifically, Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has secured JPY1.0 billion (USD9.7 million) to fund development costs related to the trial production of a prototype of the JNAAM, an MoD official confirmed during a 21 December press briefing.

The joint programme transitioned to a prototype stage in FY 2018 and is expected to finish trial production of the prototype during FY 2022, according to MoD documents. Following this, the two countries will evaluate the performance of the missile and then decide whether to put the weapon into mass production.The current joint Japan-UK research project, initiated by the two nations in 2014, is scheduled to conclude by the end of FY 2023, which is March 2024 in Japan.Janes understands that the UK missile technologies included in the programme relate to MBDA’s Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM).

On the Japanese side, the MoD is looking to integrate advanced radio frequency (RF) seeker technologies developed by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation for the AAM4B missile, with the aim of enhancing the accuracy and performance of the BVRAAM and supporting the development of the JNAAM.A Mitsubishi Electric Corporation spokesperson in Tokyo declined to comment to Janes on specifics of the programme, noting that, “it is normal for the company not to refer to any national defence projects”.

Vietnamese L-39 Conducts Flight Test after Upgrade

 On December 24, the A41 Factory, the Air Defense-Air Force Technical Department held a test flight for L-39 aircraft after repair.

According to the PK-KQ newspaper, the A41 Factory actively coordinated with the 910 Regiment, the School of Air Force Officers to ensure that the commanders, pilots and technical forces together with the unit's technical staff did well in flight preparation. The flight test board took place as planned with 3/3 times the flight ensures absolute safety. 

This is a test board for overall inspection, assessing the quality of the L-39 aircraft after major repair at the Factory; steps to prepare for the commissioning and handover to the 910 Regiment to put it into service.

China's Second Type 075 Starts Sea Trials, Third Type 075 is Taking Shape

 China’s Second Type 075 Amphibious Assault Ship Starts Sea Trials

The first Type 075 landing helicopter dock (LHD) is not yet in service, and China’s third warship in the class is close to finishing construction. The hybrid warships promise to dramatically expand China’s amphibious assault capabilities.

On Tuesday, the second of China’s Type 075 LHDs took to the seas for the first time. Photos posted on Sina Weibo showed the 40,000-ton warship - part helicopter carrier, part amphibious assault dock - being escorted by tugboats out of Shanghai’s Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard and into the open seas.In April, the warship caught fire in the drydock as it neared completion. However, the damage was not serious, and it was launched a few weeks later. A US amphibious assault ship that also caught fire in 2020 was not so lucky: the US Navy announced the decision to scrap the USS Bonhomme Richard late last month, judging that repairs from the four-day fire would roughly equal the cost of building a new ship.

​The first Type 075 was recently spotted undergoing sea trials in the South China Sea, having been launched about eight months before the second Type 075.

In July, Sputnik reported on a proposal by the 708 Institute, a design bureau for China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), suggesting a modified version of the Type 075 with an electromagnetic catapult on the flight deck for launching fixed-wing drones. However, nothing has come of the proposed Type 076 as of yet. Instead, Hudong-Zhonghua is completing a third Type 075, with five more planned in the class, and is building a Type 071 amphibious transport dock for Thailand and a Type 054A frigate for Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the first Type 075 has been spotted anchored alongside the carrier Shandong at the Yulin Naval Base in southern Hainan. First launched in September 2019, the warship is going through the final stages of its sea trials, after which it will be christened with a name and join the fleet in the South China Sea.

The conjunction is perhaps the first known meeting of China’s two classes of aircraft carrier. Although smaller than the Shandong and incapable of carrying the fixed-wing aircraft it sports, the Type 075 can carry some 30 helicopters and is larger than the aircraft carriers of many nations, including Italy, Spain, Japan and Thailand.

Extensive fleet expansion for the People’s Liberation Army Navy is included in the recently drafted 14th Five-Year Plan presented last month. By 2025, Beijing aims to have begun construction on five more Type 075 LHDs, and development of the Type 076 “assault carrier,” which was reported on earlier this year, hopes to be in full swing, according to The Diplomat. However, the outlet notes the economic proposal conspicuously omits estimates on aircraft carrier construction. These capital ships are, of course, accompanied by a slew of new smaller warships, including the huge Type 055 missile cruiser.