#Official Defence Thread

[SBD]

What was new in today's announcement? Wasn't the land swap announced months ago?

Land swap and hundreds of uni places in submarine deal - ''InDaily'', 15 March 2023

[urban]

In March they announced the land swap was agreed in principle.

This announcement while primarily about creating positivity around ship building / AUKUS, it still provided timeframes for when each parcel of land was to be provided to the other party, how long they would be leased back and clarification of how parcel would be used.

[mattblack]

ASC on board as key partner for Tonsley Technical College

14 November 2023

Australian submarine company, ASC, is set to partner with Tonsley Technical College, in a move that strengthen provide employment pathways for school students into the defence industry.

As a key employer partner at the Tonsley Technical College, ASC will shape the learning experiences, support workplace learning and provide job opportunities through apprenticeships for students when they complete their programs.

The partnership will also bolster the advanced manufacturing and engineering pathway being offered at the technical college, helping to ensure students are workplace ready when they complete their studies.

With ASC focused on sustaining and updating the Collins class submarines, Managing Director and CEO of ASC Stuart Whiley, said the partnership would help develop the future workforce needed for increased shipbuilding and submarine sustainment activities in South Australia.

“This partnership with the Tonsley Technical College, and its advanced manufacturing and engineering stream, will enhance our ongoing collaboration with the South Australian Government, industry and the education sector,” Mr Whiley said. “This will enable us to collectively build the skilled shipbuilding workforce that South Australia will need to meet future defence requirements.”

“We look forward to welcoming Tonsley Technical College students into our apprentice, graduate, and early career programs in the years to come.”

The partnership will provide a significant opportunity for school students to learn with a prestigious defence company in advanced manufacturing and engineering. It ensures graduates get a head start on their career, equipping them with workplace skills in high demand.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Defence and Space Industries Susan Close, said the announcement was a great opportunity for future students at Tonsley Technical College to prepare for a defence industry career.

“The Tonsley Innovation Precinct, which sees the Tonsley Technical College being built in tandem with Flinders University’s Factory of the Future, will place South Australia at the global forefront of developing vibrant industry linked research, education and training facilities,” Ms Close said.

The South Australian Government has committed $208 million to build the five technical colleges to provide a specialist senior secondary option that equips students with the workplace skills needed in areas of high demand. In the case of the Tonsley Technical College, it will offer industry training programs in Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering; Automotive and Energy; Building and Construction; and Health and Social Support, which will include a pathway to allied health and nursing.

The announcement of the ASC and Tonsley Technical College partnership follows an agreement with BAE Systems to sign on as a key employer partner at the Findon Technical College, which will be the first of the five new technical colleges to open in 2024. These technical colleges will provide an innovative partnership for defence employers to get the skilled workforce that they need by engaging early with school students.

https://defencesa.com/news-events-and-m ... l-college/

[mattblack]

and .....

SA government partners with HII to boost shipbuilding capabilities

13 November 2023

A new partnership between the South Australian Government and the United States’ largest shipbuilder, HII, will accelerate the development of the state’s defence industry workforce, skills and supply chain.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the South Australian Government and HII’s newly formed Australian entity, HII Nuclear Australia Pty Ltd, was signed on 13 November in Adelaide. The MoU outlines an arrangement to work together, leveraging HII’s international expertise to ready South Australia for major shipbuilding projects on the horizon.

The parties will work with local companies, academia and education providers to develop a skilled workforce and strengthen Australia’s industry capability, including:

Workforce and skills interventions to increase diversity of the STEM pipeline and address critical skills needs
Supply chain capability uplift programs
Pilot programs with South Australia’s education and training providers for innovative approaches to skills delivery.
With a division of HII, Newport News Shipbuilding, one of only two shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines, the MoU will prove invaluable as South Australian embarks on the construction of Australia’s fleet of nuclear-powered submarines (SSN-AUKUS), to be built at the world-class Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide.

HII also has a strong track record of delivering long-term workforce development initiatives in the US, investing early to engage primary and high-school aged children in STEM education, which is a critical pillar of work required in South Australia to build the skilled workforce required for major shipbuilding projects.

HII President, Nuclear and Environmental Services, Michael Lempke who visited Adelaide to sign the agreement, welcomed the partnership.

“This partnership with the South Australian Government is an honour and a significant strategic advantage in HII’s effort to support workforce development aligned with the goals of AUKUS,” Ms Lempke said.

“As the largest employer in many of the communities in which HII operates, we believe that businesses share in the responsibility of developing a skilled workforce.”

Deputy Premier and Minister for Defence and Space Industries Susan Close said work needs to begin in earnest to equip the local workforce with the specific skillsets required.

“This Memorandum of Understanding is a great step towards preparing South Australians for defence industry roles and unlocking the full economic potential of our major shipbuilding projects,” he said.

The MoU follows the recent release of the SA Defence Industry Workforce and Skills Report, which details targeted initiatives to grow and sustain South Australia’s defence industry workforce for the future.

https://defencesa.com/news-events-and-m ... abilities/

[mattblack]

Good overview of current activities;

The Defence State continues to break records at Indo Pacific 2023

The 2023 Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition, held in Sydney from 7-9 November, proved momentum is strong for Australia’s naval shipbuilding industry with multiple event records broken.

More than 27,000 delegates were in attendance across the three day event – up from 25,000 in 2022 – and the exhibition floor space was 13% larger than the previous record with 832 participating exhibitors from 21 nations.

The record-breaking streak continued for South Australia with more than 80 local organisations participating on the South Australia – The Defence State stand, which was the largest delegation of any state or territory at the event, as well as the largest hosted at any trade show in Defence SA’s history.

The event gave South Australian industry a unique platform to showcase their state-of-the-art capabilities and technologies to major partners and decision makers across the international maritime and naval defence community. View the full list of exhibitors here.

Meanwhile, the state’s leading research and education providers also demonstrated their cutting-edge defence innovations and the work being done to grow the nation’s highly skilled naval shipbuilding workforce.

While attending, a number of organisations took the opportunity to announce new products, partnerships and agreements, reinforcing that South Australia truly is a hub for defence activity. These announcements included:

Industrial refrigeration leader, Cold Logic, being awarded a multi-million dollar contract by BAE Systems Australia to construct cold and cool rooms for the first Hunter class frigates.
Composites and metal manufacturer, AEROBOND, announced it had secured a federal Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority Grant for precision guided munitions, hypersonic weapons and integrated air and missile defence systems.
Silentium Defence became the second company outside of the US to complete the Lockheed Martin Mentor Protégé Program.
Designer and supplier of rugged computing and technology, APC Technology, announced a newly forged distributor agreement with Cursor Controls Ltd.
Airspeed signed a contract for the production of the Replenishment At Sea Stump Masts (RASSM) for the Hunter class frigate.
Para Bellum Solutions and Codeac showcased a new, innovative Colorimetric Nuclear Detection product.
The next Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition is set to be held on 4-6 November 2025 at the International Convention Centre in Sydney.

[mattblack]

Swanky new boat launched....

OPV NUSHIP Eyre launched at Osborne Naval Shipyard

The Arafura class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) NUSHIP Eyre has been launched at South Australia’s world-class Osborne Naval Shipyard.

Named for the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, NUSHIP Eyre is the second in a fleet of 12 OPVs being built by Luerssen Australia for the Royal Australian Navy. It is the last of its class to be constructed in South Australia and follows the launch of NUSHIP Arafura in December 2021.

South Australian Deputy Premier and Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Susan Close, said the vessel’s launch represented an important milestone in the state’s continuous naval shipbuilding program.

“The OPV program is a significant step forward in Australia’s continuous naval shipbuilding program which is centred in South Australia,” Minister Close said.

“This program has been critical to maintaining our workforce and industry capability in the lead up to the larger shipbuilding programs scheduled at Osborne, including the Hunter class frigates and SSN-AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines.”

“A continuous program of naval shipbuilding is vital to ensuring we can increase the capacity and capability of our industrial base to ultimately grow the workforce from 3,500 to more than 8,500 by the 2040s.”

A number of South Australian-based companies have been involved in the OPV program including Saab Australia, Raytheon Australia, ENGIE Axima, Penske Australia in collaboration with MTU, along with Tasmanian company Taylor Brothers who established a footprint in the state to undertake work on the project locally.

Luerssen Australia CEO, Jens Nielsen, said the launch was a testament to the hard work and cooperation of everyone at Osborne Naval Shipyard.

“We would not be launching this ship without the commitment and passion from our production and shipbuilding teams, including the Naval Construction Branch and Navy,” Mr Nielsen said.

”Everyone has worked tirelessly to deliver a formidable vessel to the RAN.”

Head Navy Capability of the Royal Australian Navy, Rear Admiral Stephen Hughes, congratulated the workforce involved on the launch.

“On behalf of the Chief of Navy, and the sailors and officers of the Royal Australian Navy, I congratulate the defence industry workforce at Osborne on the launch of Australia’s second OPV, NUSHIP Eyre,” said Rear Admiral Hughes.

“We look forward to accepting Eyre into service and thank the many skilled shipbuilders who contribute to ensuring the RAN continues to operate capable warships of the highest quality.”

The OPV program is part of a major expansion of the nation’s naval capabilities being spearheaded in South Australia, which includes delivery of the first two OPVs; a fleet of nine Hunter class frigates; Australia’s SSN-AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines; as well as the full cycle docking and life-of-type extension of the Collins class submarines and a major upgrade of the Hobart class destroyers’ combat management system.

The remaining OPV vessels will be built by Luerssen Australia at the Henderson Maritime Precinct in Western Australia.

https://defencesa.com/news-events-and-m ... -shipyard/

[mattblack]

Further expansion of high end manufacturing for defence sector

Axiom to deliver ground support equipment for SEA 1300

South Australia’s Axiom Precision Manufacturing has announced a new contract with Kongsberg Defence Australia for the manufacture and delivery of ground support equipment for the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) being developed under SEA 1300 Phase 1.

Announced last year, the NSM is set to replace the Harpoon Anti-ship Missile capability on the Royal Australian Navy’s ANZAC class frigates and Hobart class destroyers.

The manufacturing of the complex assemblies required for the missiles has begun at Axiom’s purpose-built, secure facilities in Wingfield, with the first deliveries are due early 2024.

General Manager of Kongsberg Defence Australia, John Fry, explained the organisation’s commitment to engaging industry in the project.

“KONGSBERG is committed to involving Australian industry in support of SEA 1300 Phase 1 – Navy Guided Weapons,” said Mr Fry.

“Axiom was established over four decades ago, so it is great to be announcing this partnership with such an experienced, highly skills small to medium enterprise.”

Axiom’s General Manager, Craig Maynard, said the company is looking forward to the partnership.

“The contract with KONGSBERG is great recognition of Axiom’s strong history as a Defence supplier across many platforms and we look forward to growing our partnership on the back of this project,” said Mr Maynard.

“The new contract will support additional growth in Axiom’s vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities, including fabrication and painting.”

[rev]

Work starts on Adelaide AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine shipyard
The most important step has been taken on the shipyard set to build nuclear-powered submarines in a $368bn program centred on Adelaide.

Paul Starick
Editor At Large
December 23, 2023 - 10:00PM

First work has started on the shipyard to build nuclear-powered submarines in Adelaide as part of $368bn project, after a contract was inked for a storage area, bridge and road.

Site preparation started in the past week for a lay down and staging area to support the future construction workforce for the Osborne submarine yard, in Adelaide’s northwest.

A pedestrian bridge and road will be built from 2024 to enable the movement of thousands of workers during the yard’s construction and subsequent submarine program.

Up to 4000 workers will be employed to design and build the submarine construction infrastructure, while a further 4000 to 5500 direct shipyard jobs are expected to be created building the nuclear-powered boats at the program’s peak.

Defence Minister Richard Marles has revealed Australian Naval Infrastructure this week signed a contract with Shamrock Civil to start building the staging and laydown area, using part of at least $2bn earmarked by the federal government for early design and construction of the shipyard.

Mr Marles said the start of initial work at Osborne was an important milestone, ahead of starting building nuclear-powered submarines by the end of the decade.

“The submarine construction yard at Osborne will employ thousands of Australians to work on Australia’s SSN-AUKUS submarines and this announcement is a key first step towards realising those important local jobs,” he said.

“There is an enormous amount of work that has occurred over the last 12 months towards realising the AUKUS pathway and that progress will continue in 2024.”

Premier Peter Malinauskas hailed a “significant year of progress on AUKUS” and said 2024 would be “even bigger, with visible construction at Osborne”.

“In co-operation with the Commonwealth, we’ve progressed a historic land exchange to unlock the new submarine shipyard and skills academy, while enabling thousands of new jobs and well-located homes,” he said.

“Together, we have also made significant progress in preparing the detailed workforce planning, creating thousands of new university and training places to make sure we have the highly skilled workers ready for this mammoth undertaking.”

The US Congress on December 15 approved the transfer of nuclear technology under the AUKUS security pact, through which a submarine fleet will be based on a UK design and eventually built in Adelaide.

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sou ... a201fed236

[Pistol]

Rumor mill is working overdrive that the SFR will identify extra Hunter frigates be built.
I have heard 16! half in standard ASW fit and half in the up-gunned variant.

With a two year build, that would mean that Hunter would be coming out of service when the last frigate is being built.
That would be true continuous shipbuilding...

[mattblack]

I'm sure everyone already knows but this announcement hasn't been posted yet;

Commitment to continuous shipbuilding secures Osborne jobs for decades

Long term continuous naval shipbuilding in Adelaide has been secured for decades to come with the Federal Government confirming it will proceed with the construction of Hunter class frigates and a replacement vessel for the Navy’s Hobart class destroyers at Osborne.

Construction on the first Hunter class frigate will begin this year, with the Albanese Government committing funding to a program which will see the final Hunter frigate delivered to the Navy by 2043.

The Hunter class will be immediately followed by construction at Osborne of the replacement for Navy’s Hobart class destroyers.

The Commonwealth has also confirmed the Osborne shipyard will be used to upgrade the Hobart destroyers with the US Navy’s Aegis combat system.

The announcement coincides with the release of the Surface Ship Review, an independent analysis of Navy’s combatant fleet found in excess of $25 billion in unfunded promises in the former federal government’s acquisition and sustainment plans.

Under the new plans, the construction of the Hunter class frigates at Osborne will sustain at least 2,000 jobs and create at least 500 new jobs over the next decade.

These are in addition to the 4,000 estimated jobs required to build the new Submarine Construction Yard at Osborne, and the more than 4,000 direct jobs to build the nuclear-powered submarines themselves.

The Government has committed to increase Defence’s funding in the 2024-25 Federal Budget by $11.1 billion over the next decade to ensure the enhanced lethality surface combatant fleet is funded.

The work program for the Osborne shipyard now includes:

*Construction of Hunter class frigates

* Construction of SSN AUKUS submarines

* Construction of Air Warfare Destroyer replacement

* Upgrades to the current Air Warfare Destroyers

*Sustainment and Life of Type Extension of the Collins Class submarines

[western]

What is the latest news on Aukus in SA. Not a great deal in the Australian but it seems it is all still go ahead with more input into Osborne.

[abc]

so we can build nuclear submarines but we cant have nuclear domestic power... makes sense...

[mattblack]

What is the latest news on Aukus in SA. Not a great deal in the Australian but it seems it is all still go ahead with more input into Osborne.

For your information western;

AUKUS build partners put Adelaide built nuclear powered submarines on course

Release date: 22/03/24

The Malinauskas Labor Government welcomes the selection of Adelaide-based shipbuilders ASC Pty Ltd and BAE Systems to build Australia’s SSN-AUKUS submarines at Osborne.
The Federal Government has entered into a collaborative arrangement between the two world-leading companies, who will eventually form a Joint Venture to lead Australia’s sovereign building program for nuclear powered, conventionally armed submarines.

The announcement will be confirmed today in Adelaide ahead of high level AUKMIN talks between the United Kingdom Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron, and their Australian counterparts, Richard Marles and Senator Penny Wong.

ASC has an unrivalled knowledge of Australian submarine operating conditions, and an existing, highly-skilled workforce and sovereign supply chain, which built and now sustains Australia’s existing Collins Class submarines at Osborne.

As the UK’s long-term nuclear-powered submarine design and build partner, BAE Systems brings critical know-how, intellectual property and over 60 years of nuclear-powered submarine building experience.

BAE Systems is also responsible for building the Hunter class frigates, with work on those surface ships underway at the Osborne Naval Shipyard.

A key activity for the Joint Venture partners will be to develop the detailed program schedule to enable construction to begin on the first SSN-AUKUS submarine by the end of the decade.

Australian industry will have opportunities to contribute right from the beginning, working with ASC and BAE Systems.

Already 26 Australian suppliers are being supported to qualify their products in the US submarine supply chain as part of the AUKUS program.

Planning for a similar program focused on the UK conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine supply chain is underway, and is planned to begin in parallel with the second phase of US qualification with a focus on Australian electrical components and battery suppliers.

The South Australian Government has already exchanged land with the Australian Government to facilitate construction of the new Submarine Construction Yard.

The next step is partnering with the Commonwealth on the design and delivery of a Skills and Training Academy at Osborne to educate and train the submarine and surface shipbuilding workforce.

Between 4,000 and 5,500 direct jobs are expected to support the building of AUKUS submarines when the program reaches its peak.

https://www.premier.sa.gov.au/media-rel ... -on-course

[Pistol]

Can't remember seeing a tender whereby ASC and BAE won.
Was this a 'Captain's Call'?
I know for a sole source, there needs to be an extremely good justification...

[SBD]

Can't remember seeing a tender whereby ASC and BAE won.
Was this a 'Captain's Call'?
I know for a sole source, there needs to be an extremely good justification...

It was probably limited to the companies who already build nuclear-powered submarines for AUKUS countries. Give the well-publicised problems with the US shipyards, I suspect it was always going to be British, and BAE Australia already has a presence so startup costs would be lower.