Emma Kelly / Perth

Australia will decide on the future of the Royal Australian Navy’s troubled Kaman SH-2G(A) Super Seasprite programme within the next few weeks, following last week’s grounding after a new software problem. Canberra is also looking into the possibility of legal action against contractors on the programme, which is now five years behind schedule.

Australia ordered 11 SH-2G(A)s from Kaman in June 1997, with deliveries of the refurbished ex-US Navy airframes first planned for mid-2002. But the programme has been beset by delays and problems with the aircraft’s Northrop Grumman, and Computer Sciences-developed integrated tactical avionics system (ITAS). Nine of the helicopters are in navy service, but have not yet achieved full operational capability. The remaining aircraft are undergoing navy acceptance trials and tests in the USA.

The latest problem was uncovered in March when a reliability issue was found with the Seasprite’s automatic flight control system. Describing the requirement to integrate state-of-the-art technology with old airframes as “overly ambitious”, defence minister Brendan Nelson says the latest software failure is “the straw that has broken the camel’s back”.

Kaman, which had been aiming for final quality acceptance this quarter, says the problem is an “anomalous flight condition...attributed to the ship’s airspeed sensor”. The US company concedes completion of the ITAS is a “complex task” that has resulted in a $2.5 million charge to its first-quarter results. Delivery of the first fully operational aircraft complete with the ITAS software is now targeted for the third quarter, it adds.

But Australia is losing patience, and Nelson has asked the chief of navy and chief of defence to review the programme and submit options. The review is looking at the cost of continuing the programme, making modifications to reach full operational capability, or scrapping the deal and acquiring an alternative platform. A report is due by the end of this month.

Nelson says he has asked the Department of Defence to consider “legal action against contractors who have not fulfilled their obligations”. The SH-2G(A) programme is capped at A$1 billion ($765 million), and spending reached A$918 million last July.

Source: Flight International