Defence Business: Vehicles see some movement | ADM Dec 2011 / Jan 2012
Katherine Ziesing | Canberra
Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and the then Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare have announced a decision on Phase 3 of Project OverLander. Phase 3 of Project OverLander will provide the Australian Defence Force with around 7,500 new vehicles over the next decade at around $7.5 billion, will replace the current fleet of Land Rovers, Unimog, Mack and S-Liner trucks and their associated trailers and modules.
The worst kept secret in Canberra that Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Australia has been down-selected as the preferred tenderer is now official. The company will now enter into detailed negotiations to provide up to 2,700 protected and unprotected medium and heavy vehicles under Land 121 Phase 3B. Options will also be sought for approximately 1,000 more unprotected vehicles for training purposes under Land 121 Phase 5B.
Subject to successful negotiations, it is anticipated that Rheinmetall MAN and its Australian subcontractors will undertake approximately 35 per cent of the value of the Phase 3B work in Australia.
The work in Australia will provide significant opportunities for Australian industry, including the installation of locally supplied bodies and modules, and integration of vehicle parts and testing. This work is expected to be undertaken in Wacol, Brisbane. The through life support for the vehicles is also expected to be undertaken in Australia.
Defence will also enter into negotiations with Australian company Haulmark Trailers, as the preferred tenderer to supply up to 2,500 trailers for these medium and heavy vehicles. Subject to satisfactory negotiations, the trailers will be manufactured at Haulmark’s Brisbane facility and this work is expected to create up to 75 jobs and sustain approximately 150 jobs.
Commercial negotiations are expected to inform second pass approval by Government in 2013. Should a satisfactory commercial outcome not be achieved, Defence has reserved the right to engage other tenderers. Subject to contract negotiation and the options exercised by Defence, the cost for Phases 3B and 5B is now expected to cost more than the original budget estimate from August 2007.
The additional funds will come from surplus funds previously committed to Land 121 Phase 2A and 3A, Land 17 Phase 1C Artillery Replacement and Land 112 (Australian Light Armoured Vehicle Enhancement) and JP2048 Phase 3 (Amphibious watercraft) as some of these projects have been cancelled or changed in scope.
The first stage of the upgrade to ASLAVs has been completed in Afghanistan. This included the fitting of US Marine Corps belly plates and blast protected driver seats. The Government has decided not to proceed with the second stage of upgrades to ASLAVs on the advice of Defence. The second stage was developmental and considered too risky to proceed with.
Land 121 Phase 4 PMV-L
Thales Australia’s Hawkei has been selected as the preferred vehicle for the development and testing under Stage 2 of the Manufactured and Supported in Australia (MSA) option under Land 121 Phase 4.
Following testing and assessment of the MSA participants, Defence recommended the Hawkei vehicle as it was most likely to meet the future capability and value for money requirements of the Land 121 Ph4 MSA option. The next stage of Phase 4 will include funding for further development and testing including the manufacture of prototype vehicles.
Subject to successful testing of the vehicles, final Government approval of the project is expected in 2015, and production work could potentially commence in Australia as early as 2016.
Thales Australia is currently manufacturing Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles at its factory in Bendigo. This manufacturing capability, and the skills of the workforce, is an important national security capability, according to government.
On current plans, manufacture of Bushmasters at Bendigo is expected to be completed before the end of 2013. In order to retain critical skills in Bendigo while the design of the Hawkei is finalised and proven, the Government has agreed to explore the purchase of additional Bushmaster vehicles.
Defence will continue to monitor progress of the US Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program, however, no additional funding commitments have been made at this stage.
Land 121 Phases 3A and 5A
The production of 1,187 Mercedes Benz G-Wagons was approved in 2007 to replace the Australian Defence Force’s current fleet of Land Rovers under Land 121 Phase 3A. In August 2011, the Government announced that a further 959 G-Wagons would be purchased under Land 121 Phase 5A to provide a fleet of tactical vehicles and an enhanced training capability to prepare for operations in protected vehicles.
Modules for these vehicles will be manufactured and integrated by G. H. Varley Pty Ltd in the Hunter Valley of NSW and the trailers will be sourced from Haulmark Trailers.
Vehicle deliveries commenced in March 2011 in accordance with the acquisition schedule. To date, 307 production vehicles have been delivered to units including RAAF Base Amberley, Latchford Barracks and the Army School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering in Albury.
The main roll-out of vehicles to Defence units is scheduled to occur between July 2012 and 2015.
Upgrades to Bushmaster vehicles
The Government has also approved the upgrade of around 200 Bushmaster vehicles.
The Bushmasters to be upgraded include those currently operating in Afghanistan and the additional 101 Bushmasters announced for production in May 2011. As part of that announcement in May, the Government said that Defence would evaluate a range of enhancements to the Bushmaster vehicle to increase the level of protection it provides to ADF personnel.
The upgrades include energy absorbing seats and stronger welding to further reduce the probability of lower limb and spinal injury occurring from an explosion.
The vehicle upgrades will occur throughout 2012 and are likely to be undertaken in both in the Middle East Area of Operations and at Thales’ Bendigo factory.
Force Protection
The Government has also approved under Project NINGAUI the purchase of four route clearance systems to more safely clear roads of IEDs before troops travel on them to better protect troops in Afghanistan against improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The route clearance systems will be used by Australian Army engineers to detect and clear explosive hazards, creating a safer pathway for troops as they patrol Uruzgan province in Afghanistan.
The four systems will cost about $70 million. Each system includes:
Two HUSKY Mark 3 protected route clearance vehicles with ground penetrating radars (GPR) to detect explosive hazards;
One HUSKY Mark 3 protected route clearance vehicle with interrogator arm to confirm that an explosive hazard has been found from a safer distance;
Two protected High Mobility Engineer Excavators (HMEEs) to repair damaged routes and create bypass routes; and
Two Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles fitted with SPARK mine rollers to provide a greater level of protection against explosive hazards.
The HUSKY mounted ground penetrating radars provide the ability to detect explosive hazard threats from within an armoured vehicle. It will protect troops by allowing them to detect IEDs that other detection equipment might not be able to find, especially devices with low or no metal content.
In September 2011, Smith and Clare announced that the Government would loan two similar systems from Canada. The Canadian vehicles will be on loan for around 12 months effective from early 2012. The Government will purchase the new systems to provide Australian troops with a permanent route clearance system after the loan of the Canadian systems. Three systems will be deployed to Afghanistan with one remaining in Australia for training.
The Husky vehicles will be purchased from the US Government under their Foreign Military Sales system with the other elements of the system to be sourced commercially.
More Chooks
The Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) CH-47D Chinook fleet will be bolstered by a further two helicopters following the loss of one aircraft on operations in Afghanistan in May 2011.
The purchase of the additional CH-47D Chinooks, effected through Defence signing of a Letter of Offer and Acceptance with the US will bring Australia’s total CH-47D Chinook fleet to seven.
The additional aircraft will reduce pressure on the training and maintenance schedule for the ADF Chinook fleet resulting in enhanced support to the two Chinook’s currently deployed to the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO).
The two additional aircraft have been sourced from the US, and will be transported to Australia for servicing and modification to the current Australian CH-47D configuration. The aircraft are expected to arrive in Townsville by the end of January 2012 and are anticipated to be ready for domestic operations from mid-2012.