PETER LA FRANCHI / CANBERRA
Revised capability plan boosts funds for JSF purchases and HALE UAV fleet
Australia has bolstered top-end estimates of its planned Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter acquisition to a total of A$15.5 billion ($11.8 billion)over the next 15 years under its revised national Defence Capability Plan (DCP)released last week.
The plan also increases spending on Australia's planned acquisition of a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE)unmanned air vehicle fleet to A$1 billion, alongside an allocation of up to A$4.5 billion for replacement maritime patrol aircraft to enter service after 2013.
The HALE budget represents an increase of A$850 million over previous long-term spending proposals for the project. Australian defence minister Robert Hill says the project continues to be based on a Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk purchase. Other options such as the General Atomics Predator B will also be studied. However, the revised DCP pushes back the in-service date for the HALE UAVs to 2009-11, or up to four years later than originally planned.
Funding for Australia's Air 9000 Phase 2 additional trooplift helicopter requirement has been increased by more than A$400 million to a maximum of A$1 billion. Funding allocations for the proposed Air 9000 Phase 3 Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawk mid-life upgrade have been pushed back to 2007-8, three years later than planned.
Australia's military airspace control system is to be extended through two new projects. Joint Project 2096, worth up to A$1 billion, will establish a national surveillance centre. Project Air 5432, worth up to A$50 million, will develop a new national military airspace management system, to enter service by 2012.
The new plan increases the maximum value of Australia's 10-year defence acquisition plans for all three services to 2015 to A$57.1 billion, a rise of A$15.7 billion on previous plans. Almost half is allocated to aerospace projects. Aerospace acquisition spending will reach A$3.5 billion a year by 2012 if all projects are implemented.
The Australian Army's long-standing Joint Project 117 requirement for a replacement medium air-defence missile system has been delayed past 2015. The project had been scheduled to secure government funding approvals this year.
The new plan also defers plans for the acquisition of a new Australian Defence Force airdrop capability system, an airborne hyper-spectral imaging capability, and a mid-life upgrade for the Royal Australian Navy's Kongsberg Penguin anti-ship missiles.
Source: Flight International
