Defence announced on February 29 that it had recently signed a $330 million, eight-year contract with Raytheon Australia for the delivery of Joint Adversarial Training and Testing Services (JATTS).
In essence, the initiative consolidates three existing contracts – Jet Air Support, provided by Air Affairs Australia; Air Towed Targets/Services, with the incumbent being Air Target Services (ATS); and Electronic Warfare Training Services (EWTS), currently supplied by Raytheon.
However, the accompanying media release was vague in detail, saying basically that the new JATTS contract, “secures the ongoing employment of approximately 88 Raytheon Australia and sub-contractor personnel, predominantly based in the Nowra region.”
Subsequent enquiries to Defence provided further information about the capabilities to be delivered under JATTS, which include: ATS towed targets and Phoenix Unmanned Aerial Targets (UATs) and/or target emulators; Live Opposing Force (OPFOR) Learjet aircraft; EWTS services, which also includes two Learjets specially configured for the role; ADF Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Test Capability-Air (AITC-A); and Future Advanced Threat Simulator (FATS), which has been developed to test and validate Navy’s EW systems, including Nulka.
While the capability is based at Nowra, the actual training is conducted across Australia and overseas in support of ADF units.
The JATTS initiative has its origins in the transfer of the Jet Air Support activity from Air Command to CASG’s Tactical Fighter Systems Program Office (TFSPO).
The subsequent realisation that efficiencies could be achieved by consolidating training and support activities, resulted in consultation with industry in late 2017 regarding the future delivery of services.
Previous contracts were also of a shorter duration than ideal, due to the operational tempo of originating units, and tended to focus on flying hours rather that a capability for example. The consolidation of the funding sources and contracts under JATTS has enabled longer term contracts with more certainty and flexibility for industry to deliver efficiencies and enhanced capabilities.
The amalgamation of the existing contracts under the JATTS banner essentially makes Raytheon Australia the capability steward, or Prime Contractor, with Air Affairs and ATS effectively performing as sub-contractors. While it was decided that maintaining the status quo for the time being, the contract is designed to evolve over time to ensure it delivers contemporary training to the ADF.
“There was the realisation that CASG was best placed to manage this requirement, but not under small, disparate contracts, we were looking for an industry steward and Raytheon was in a good position to do that,” explains Matt Hall, Director Air Combat Training Systems TFSPO.
“The view going forward is that Raytheon is the prime contractor and Air Affairs and ATS are the sub-contractors, providing more or less the same services they were previously, we just now have a ‘one-stop shop’ from a CASG perspective.
Hall says the future challenge is to evolve capability with the evolving needs of the ADF, particularly with the introduction of 5th Generation capabilities like the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, which will demand a more capable OPFOR platform to provide realistic training.
“The evolving nature of the scope means we need to work with our industry partners to see how we can best meet the capability manager’s requirements going forward, with a limited budget.” Hall adds.
“I dare say that delivering the same service in Year Eight of this contract will not be the right answer but at this time it’s business as usual, we’ve just changed the construct of the contracts.”
