Chief of Army expands on force evolution - Defence Connect

ARMY IN MOTION

+

Chief of Army expands on force evolution

Defence Industry Minister lauds

industry capability

Rheinmetall’s plans for Aussie defence

industry development

Enhancing the multidomain

capabilities of Army

https://www.soucy-group.com/en/

Land Special Editionwww.defenceconnect.com.au - 01 -

WHILE BOTH Navy and Air Force are well progressed on their modernisation and recapitalisation programs, driven by platforms like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and Hobart Class destroyers, Army is at the beginning of this process. Following on from the success of the Defence Connect Maritime & Undersea Warfare Special Edition, this second edition focused on the Land Domain will deep-dive into the programs, platforms, capabilities and doctrines emerging that will shape Army over the coming decades.

To begin with, Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price will detail the growing role and capability of Australia’s defence industry in supporting the delivery of the multibillion-dollar modernisation and recapitalisation efforts.

Building on this, Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Rick Burr, AO, DSC, MVO, provides a foreword highlighting the Army’s modernisation efforts and constant pursuit of evolutionary warfare.

Soucy will explain in detail the benefits emerging from developments into composite track systems over traditional steel track systems and how the capability has evolved to be at the core of cutting-edge, mobile warfare for LAND 400 Phase 3.

Chief of Army returns for a detailed Q&A taking a look at the ‘Army in Motion’ and ‘Accelerated Warfare’ doctrines serving as the driving force behind Army’s modernisation.

Army has always been the nation’s first responder. Recognising this, government has moved to modernise the force and keep it

at the cutting-edge of capability

Shifting gears, Rheinmetall Defence Australia provides a detailed look into their extensive research and development programs across unmanned systems, and collaborative efforts to develop critical local defence industry capability.

Local success story EPE Protection discusses its own R&D and local industry and workforce development efforts, building on its veteran-focused experience in the land domain.

Luminact discusses the importance of information supremacy and its role in supporting interoperability. The company also discusses how despite platform commonality, interoperability can’t be guaranteed and needs to be accounted for.

HENSOLDT Australia chats about its growing footprint across the ADF, with expertise learned during the company’s relationship with Navy and Air Force to build a diverse offering, enhancing Army’s survivability and lethality.

Relative newcomer Broadspectrum speaks about its transition to becoming a Ventia company, building on the broader network’s relationships to provide unique offerings to Army and the ADF.

Finally, Victorian-based Aquaterro discusses and deep-dives into the Army’s infantryman modernisation and lethality programs, and its mounting success in supporting the lethality and survivability of the future Australian Digger.

As always, feedback is both appreciated and encouraged, so please get in touch with us should you have any ideas to put forward. Thanks again for your continued support as we all work together to make Australia a safer, more prosperous and secure nation.

EDITOR’S LETTER

Welcome

Steve KuperAnalyst and editorDefence Connect

Cover image: Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019Photographer: Sgt. 1st Class Whitney C. HoustonSource: Department of Defence

http://www.defenceconnect.com.au

Land Special Edition www.defenceconnect.com.au- 02 -

T he Morrison government’s unprecedented $270 billion investment in the defence of

Australia continues to focus attention on Australia’s Defence needs – both now and well into the decades ahead.

But at the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the crucial role of our domestic industry and the crucial support it already provides to the ADF.

It has never been more apparent that Australia needs to be a nation that builds high-quality, value-for-money capability with secure, sovereign supply chains. And Defence is playing a vital role in keeping Australians in jobs by continuing to support Australia’s defence industry.

Since March, Defence has paid more than 190,000 invoices, totalling $15 billion, with $11 billion of them paid early.

This is a terrific indicator that work is continuing and jobs are being supported by much needed cash flow getting through our prime contractors to the many Australian small businesses that are critical to Defence. In addition to the Defence COVID-19 Task Force, defence industry has been further supported with the creation of a dedicated Industry Support Cell, part of Defence’s COVID-19 Task Force, to help keep business moving.

Land Systems Division was called upon to provide much needed technical expertise and equipment to help Victorian company

The Hon Melissa Price MP, Minister for Defence Industry

LAND DOMAIN WELL BEYOND BUSINESS AS USUAL

Defence and our industry partners are working closely together during the global COVID-19 pandemic to continue to deliver

world-class capability in a manner above and beyond business as usual, explains the Minister for Defence Industry, Melissa Price

From the Minister


www.defenceconnect.com.au


Med-Con ramp up production of vitally-needed surgical masks.

Then Australia’s only manufacturer of surgical masks, the Shepparton-based company reached out for support to restore and run its mask-making machines.

Defence answered the call, enabling Med-Con to successfully increase their production capacity from 2 million to 200 million masks per year. The effort to rebuild the machines and enable the manufacture of additional equipment was a mammoth task, undertaken with high skill and quiet dedication.

Simultaneously, the Land Systems Division’s Health Systems Program Office was securing tens of millions of dollars’ worth of gowns, goggles and masks.

This significant procurement was made possible largely through their prime vendor arrangement with Central Healthcare Services, one of the many successful reforms put in place and available when we needed it most.

However, even before the pandemic, Defence had been focusing on securing and improving its domestic supply chains, with dedicated programs to support our defence industry and Australian jobs – in all domains, including Land.

Let’s look at the LAND 400 program – the most significant materiel acquisition in the history of the Australian Army – which will provide a new generation of armoured vehicles with new levels of protection, mobility and firepower.

The Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles project is a game-changer – with the majority of its 211 vehicles being delivered from the state-of-the-art Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence near Ipswich in Queensland, with an Australian industry capability (AIC) level of more than 50 per cent.

Prime vendor for the LAND 400 Phase 2 program, Rheinmetall Defence Australia, has already brought on board many Australian small businesses to support this project, creating hundreds of Australian jobs and providing them with opportunities to showcase their talents and develop export opportunities as part of their global supply chain.

It’s both a turning point and a model for the kind of defence force our government is building – because our men and women in uniform are only as strong as the industry and the workers that stand behind them.

It’s the same kind of thinking that has flowed through into LAND 400 Phase 3 to deliver up to 450 modern infantry fighting vehicles to protect Australian soldiers in combat, and bring them home safely to their families.

To support and encourage local industry in this project, an Australian Industry Capability Roadshow was held between March and May 2020 to give Australian businesses the chance to showcase their high quality products – everything from steel to electronics, seating, and a range of other components and consumables.

While the planned physical roadshows could not be conducted, the Armoured Vehicle Division made sure this opportunity wouldn’t be lost and quickly transformed the roadshow to a series of online sessions that pitched their expertise and capability directly to the two project contenders, Rheinmetall Defence Australia and Hanwha Defense Australia.

In other home-grown success stories, in July we announced the purchase of a further 8,500 rifles from Thales Australia – in addition to the 30,000 already being delivered. Every rifle is made with Australian know-how at the Thales factory in Lithgow, near Sydney, enabling our

Follow Melissa Price MP twitter.com/Melissa4Durack


https://twitter.com/Melissa4Durack?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor


soldiers to engage targets more accurately at much greater ranges than ever before.

The wholly Australian-designed Hawkei protected mobility vehicle represents a new capability for the Australian Defence Force and I’m proud that it is being manufactured in Bendigo, Victoria, at the same factory where the world-class Bushmaster vehicle is manufactured.

The start of full-rate production in September means more opportunities for our local businesses to be involved in manufacturing and longer-term support of these vehicles in Australia.

It will create significant long-term opportunities for Australian industry, as well as the potential for export.

Again pivoting around the pandemic, Land Systems Division has found ways to successfully progress a number of important industry solicitation activities.

In May, the first virtual industry briefing ever held by Land Systems Division was undertaken online in support of the Integrated Soldier System project.

This approach provided opportunities for 600 businesses across Australia to engage in the process, without the associated time and cost of travel. The positive and generous feedback received will no doubt see more sessions moved online in the future.

The Protected Mobile Fires program, which will deliver the self-propelled howitzers and armoured ammunition resupply vehicles from Geelong, Victoria, continues to make good progress, with the key industry solicitation activities being completed on schedule to deliver against our election commitment.

Working together virtually has also been a critical tool for our Short Range Ground Based Air Defence project.

Defence and Raytheon have successfully conducted a preliminary design review via virtual means, with more than 90 individuals participating from Australia, the US and Norway. These types of engagements are serving to strengthen Defence and industry relationships while keeping our projects on schedule and providing cash flow to companies.

The pandemic also proved no match for the Lethality System project (LAND 159), which will deliver next-generation small arms weapon systems, ranging from knives, pistols, rifles and machine-guns to anti-tank guided missile systems.

COVID-19 restrictions meant that tender evaluation for the first phase of this project had to be conducted remotely, but the team remained connected, both within itself and with industry, and have successfully signed a contract.

All of this aims to ensure Australian soldiers have a capability advantage over potential adversaries into the next decade.

Defence was even able to work with one of

Australian Army soldier Corporal Sander Vloothuis, operates surgical face mask machine at Med-Con Pty Ltd. Photographer: CPL Sagi Biderman, Department of Defence

Army’s new Australian-designed Hawkei protected vehicle is ready to enter full-rate production at the Thales Protected Vehicles facility in Bendigo, Victoria. Source: Thales

From the Minister




Australia’s best-known brands. RM Williams supplies parade boots for ADF members. When Defence heard that the firm was extending its usual Easter stand-down because of the pandemic, an extra order for boots was placed.

RM Williams stores around the country were able to progressively reopen during May, with their factory in Salisbury, SA, re-opening the same month. And now, ADF recruits are guaranteed to receive their parade boots for graduation. There have been numerous similar initiatives implemented across the Land Domain.

Army endorsed a proposal by Holmwood Highgate to bring forward the manufacture of liquid modules and tanker vehicles by 12 months to help curb commercial delays and keep Australians employed.

Defence supported a proposal by Farage Holdings, a small family business based in Sydney, to increase Australian industry involvement in the manufacture of the new general duties dress for women across the three services. They engaged with two

other small Australian manufacturers, and an order was subsequently placed for 9,000 items with Farage to help with their operational capability and workflow through the pandemic downturn.

It’s readily apparent that the Defence contribution to the whole-of-government response has gone well beyond the uniformed soldiers, sailors and airmen and airwomen seen on our city streets.

We have moved well beyond business as usual – and helped achieve one of the most successful pandemic responses across the world to date, while protecting our national and strategic interests.

I continue to be fiercely proud of my department and the work they are doing to support our nation, which they are doing hand-in-hand with our growing defence industry.

It’s often said that the bonds that are developed during times of adversity are the most enduring – and I look forward to seeing the Defence and industry relationship continue to go from strength to strength.

Minister for Defence Industry the Honourable Melissa Price and Australian Army soldier Trooper Kia Arbuckle of the 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (QLD Mounted Infantry) at Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane. Photographer: SGT Max Bree, Department of Defence


https://images.defence.gov.au/assets/


P olitical, economic and environmental uncertainty is high. This uncertainty influences how

states and groups compete and co-operate and how they use force for advantage.

Australian land forces will be required to do more to enable the Australian Defence Force to defend Australia and its national interests in an environment shaped by natural disasters, the increasing range and lethality of strike weapons, and the expanding military use of the space, cyber and information domains.

Australia is responding to these evolving strategic circumstances. The government’s Defence Strategic Update and Force Structure Plan 2020 articulate a strategic approach and force structure to deliver competitive advantage in this rapidly changing environment. To ensure that Australia’s land forces have the capacity and capabilities to do what is needed of them, government is investing approximately $55 billion in land capabilities over the next decade. The key components of this investment are:

Credible combat capabilities designed to succeed in joint land combat.

Sophisticated combat support capabilities such as long-range fires, cyber and electronic warfare capabilities.

Investment in emerging technologies and concepts, such as robotics and autonomous systems and information warfare.

To optimise how these capabilities are employed, Army is exploring new concepts, what and how we train, and learning with others through partnerships. We are driving preparation and adaptation for an uncertain future. Army is alert and ready as an Army in Motion.

A strong defence industry is the foundation for a strong Australian Defence Force. Industry and Defence have a common purpose, to provide the best capability for Australian soldiers and support national resilience and innovation.

We worked together during bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout this time, industry has continued to support land force training.

Concurrently, Army has accelerated its training transformation, using technology and delivering training differently, while complying with state and national restrictions. Industry has an important role in this transformation.

More broadly, Army supports the implementation of the Defence Industrial Capability Plan to develop sovereign defence

FOREWORD FROM CHIEF OF ARMY

LIEUTENANT GENERAL RICK BURR, AO, DSC, MVO

Foreword


industry for land combat vehicles, combat clothing, small arms design, research, development and manufacture.

Army disproportionately partners with many Australian small and medium businesses and always seeks to develop more effective ways of doing business through greater collaboration and co-operation.

The forums for collaboration continue to expand. Current avenues include Annual Army Innovation Days, conducted virtually in 2020, the recently established Robotics and Autonomous Systems Implementation Coordination Office, and Army and industry integration in trials and experiments.

Private Callam Stewart, who serves as an infantryman with 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, conduct reconnaissance during Exercise Talisman Sabre 19 at Stanage Bay, Queensland, Australia, July 15, 2019. Photographer: Sgt. 1st Class Whitney C. Houston, Department of Defence

Defence industry publications, such as Defence Connect, enable dialogue and understanding between Army and industry. This engagement is vital for Army to drive down the cost of ownership and to ensure the sustainment and delivery of the land capabilities the Australian Defence Force needs now and in the future.

Strong defence industry, enabled by government investment, collaboration, innovation and understanding, continues to ensure that Australia’s land forces can meet the tasks required in a dynamic strategic context. Army seeks industry’s insights, ideas and innovations to help us succeed in a future defined by accelerating change.



S oucy Defense has been in the background of this battle of the giants, a subsidiary of the Canadian company

Soucy Group, it designs and manufactures composite rubber track systems to meet the requirements laid down by end users and leading manufacturers of defence vehicles.

No matter who wins the multibillion-dollar LAND 400 Phase 3 program, the platform is expected to deliver the Australian Army with a next-generation capability and will require equally next-gen components to support the intended operational capacity.

Enter Soucy Defense, which has worked hard over the past few years to shape opinion and inform the Australian Defence Force of composite rubber track (CRT) system benefits while attending land forces conferences and meeting with program managers for LAND 400. The company has also collaborated with the LAND 400 Phase 3 OEMs to ensure that CRT is available in time for the competition.

Hanwha’s AS21 Redback is fitted with CRT and Rheinmetall KF41 is fitted with steel track. It will be interesting to see Soucy’s

COMPOSITE RUBBER TRACKS

TO SUPPORT LAND 400 PHASE 3 CONTESTANTSoucy Defense has responded to the Commonwealth’s

LAND 400 Phase 3 bid, using international experience to deliver a composite rubber track for the Australian Army’s future IFV

CRT perform as Rheinmetall and Hanwha go head to head in trials later this year.

Speaking to Defence Connect, Kevin Sloan, Soucy Defense’s regional business development director and a retired British Army Cavalry Officer, explains the benefits of fitting next-generation combat vehicles with CRTs.

“The benefits of CRT have made it a popular choice when compared to the alternative, steel track. Offering enhanced mobility; weight saving, exceptional mean time before failure rates (MTBF), lower vibration, reduced noise, better fuel consumption, with minimal maintenance and reduced logistic demand,” Sloan says.

Expanding on this, Sloan adds, “The end users and OEMs are now looking beyond the traditional and seeking to optimise their platforms in all areas of vehicle design, and with the benefits CRT brings, it has a positive effect on all areas of vehicle development.”

Soucy Defense offers arguably one of the most innovative solutions in tracked

Feature


mobility in recent history, meeting defence standards for over 25 years, in the harshest of operational environments.

For Soucy, however, there seems to be some misplaced reluctance to introduce CRT on their armoured vehicles, something Sloan explains in great detail.

“I think its perception, having looked at CRT from a military requirements standpoint whilst serving, there is definitely a cohort of platform designers and requirements managers who are biased towards steel tracks – potentially they are less risk in design,” he explains.

“They have an idea that rubber tracks stretch, and are weak, these opinions are formed by individuals who have not followed the development of composite rubber track

over the past 25 years – it took me a while to be a convert. What also does not help is that requirements managers/end users have already considered tracked vehicles having challenges in long distance deployments, and compensate for that in their Battle Field Mission (BFM) requirements.”

Sloan adds, “Composite rubber track reduces the high levels of vibration synonymous with steel tracked vehicles, which reduces early mechanical failure and crew fatigue.

“Operationally, combat formations currently suffer significant attrition as vehicles break down or require maintenance on their way to the line of departure, reducing a commander’s combat effectiveness before his mission has even started. When you consider the benefits and realise the cost

Rheinmetall’s KF-41 Lynx IFV is one of two contenders for the LAND 400 Phase 3 program. Source: Rheinmetall MAN

Land Special Edition www.defenceconnect.com.au- 10 -- 10 -

savings through life that CRT enables – it’s a wonder why that perception is still out there – but I can assure you the tide is turning.”

Soucy Defense is also focusing its attention on developing Australian industry capacity, working closely with Australian suppliers to ensure that much of the subcomponents for a CRT could be produced under licence.

Sloan tells Defence Connect, “Facilitating Australian industry involvement and Australian workers will be vital to the success of LAND 400 Phase 3. It will be a huge opportunity for Australian industry to deliver the latest technologies to the Australian Defence Force and Soucy would be incredibly proud to see CRT as part of it.”

LAND 400 Phase 3 is a $10-15 billion Army program that will recapitalise Army’s Vietnam-era M113 armoured personnel carrier (APC) force, with a combination of a tracked infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and tracked APC.

The Australian government’s down select of Hanwha’s AS21 Redback IFV

and Rheinmetall’s Lynx KF41 will see both platforms put through a gruelling risk mitigation activity (RMA) for two distinctly different platforms.

Hanwha Defense Systems AS21 Redback: The AS21 will include the capability to integrate active protection systems into an evolved turret system, the Redback will, like the unsuccessful BAE offering, be capable of hosting a crew of 11 (three crew, eight troops), a top road speed of 70km/h, cross country speed of 40km/h, an operational range of 500 kilometres, with an armament consisting of a 40mm autocannon and a single 7.62mm coaxial machine gun.

Rheinmetal Lynx KF-41: The Lynx KF41 will include the capability to support a crew of 12 (three crew, up to nine troops), have a max road speed of 70km/h, a road range of more than 500 kilometres, with an armament consisting of the Lance 2.0 30-35mm autocannon, a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and a variety of additional close in weapons systems.

Feature

Hanwha Defense Australia’s AS21 Redback IFV. Source: Hanwha Defense Corporation


Q&A

A s government’s ‘first responders’, the Australian Army is often called upon to meet myriad challenges

facing decision makers – as technology has evolved so too have the operating concepts and doctrine available to the Army.

The Commonwealth government has announced a $270 billion investment in modernising the Australian Defence Force, with Army expected to be the beneficiary of $55 billion over the next decade with a focus on building Army’s capacity to conduct traditional, high intensity combat capabilities.

Spearheading the revolution and evolution now transforming the Australian Army,

Q&A with Chief of Army Lieutenant General Rick Burr, AO, DSC, MVO

‘ARMY IN MOTION’AND THE FUTURE OF THE AUSTRALIAN ARMY

The Army in Motion philosophy necessitates a force that is continuously adapting to an ever-changing environment, taking

guidance from its core strengths and principles, yet always remaining open to developing new ways of employing capabilities

Chief of Army Lieutenant General Rick Burr, AO, DSC, MVO, is responsible for ensuring that the Army is “ready now, future ready” to meet the missions of today and the future.

The Army in Motion concept recognises the major challenge of ‘Accelerated Warfare’, which describes changes occurring in global, regional and domestic operating environments.

Shedding light on this evolution, LTGEN Burr took the time to answer some questions about ‘Army in Motion’ and the evolution of Army as it will fit within the ‘joint force’ and 2020 Defence Strategic Update and Force Structure Plan.


Defence Connect: Considering some of the challenges we have to our north, how is Army preparing and gearing up to make sure that it’s spot on for the response we need now, while also preparing for the future?

Chief of Army Lieutenant General Rick Burr, AO, DSC, MVO: We absolutely have been thinking about this emerging future for a while now. We described it as accelerated warfare. The acceleration of change in our strategic environment, the convergence of that change through the many domains is materialising.

In many respects the future’s already here, and it really imposed on us as an Army to think about how we organise to accelerate in our own response to that, and how we think of ourselves, to be ready now but also can gear up for that future.

That’s been the central philosophy, if you like, of what we’ve called the Army in Motion; an Army that needs to continuously adapt to an ever-changing environment, to not be fixed in its ways but be guided by its core strengths, the principles that underpin how we employ capabilities.

[It also needs] to be open to developing new concepts, new ways of employing these capabilities, and this environment has certainly presented those opportunities.

The Force Structure Plan builds on the integrated investment plan from the 2016 defence white paper.

It helps us strengthen the Army, an Army that in its design principles we knew … needed to be more connected, more protected, more lethal, and more enabled. The capabilities that we’re receiving enable us to achieve that.

It allows us to operate in and across all domains and to be a more effective and a more integrated member of the joint force.

So, a lot of good news in this, and we’re grateful for government’s investment in the land force.

DC: What are you doing or how is Army preparing for the next iteration of a white paper, and what’s your involvement there?

LTGEN Burr: The strategic update is the platform that gives us the policy settings and the investments and the resource to prosecute that strategy, so we’re absolutely focused on delivering that.

Inside the department … this is a continuous process, as we think through the life cycle of continuously updating strategy, updating our priorities and our investment priorities accordingly. That’s a continuous process.

Right now, we are focused on implementing the outcomes of the Force Structure Plan. Inside Army we are focused on delivering that through the Army Objective Force, which is focused on posture and the integration of those capabilities into our organisation, [and] how we develop [everything] around that.

That includes things like new training systems and new workforce requirements to operate what are fundamentally new capabilities in a lot of cases, or new capabilities to replace previous platforms [that] will also be employed in fundamentally different ways.

A good example is the Boxer, which is replacing the LAV, investing a one-for-one replacement. This is a fundamentally different capability in terms of its technology, the sensors, the way it can integrate into the joint force to be a node on the network ... a mobile command and control (C2) node.

This is an incredibly capable platform. But when you think about long-range fires, that is fundamentally different for our Army.

Q&A


Being able to fire at operational level ranges, to add more capability to the joint force, to provide more operational and strategic options to government, it is new territory for our Army.

We’re excited about it, and it’s reflected back throughout our entire force structure in terms of who we need to recruit, how we need to develop our people into the future, and how we manage that skill base going forward.

DC: How are you finding industry’s role in supporting the delivery and the modernisation and the sustainment of the Army’s existing and future capabilities? It seems to be working much better than how it used to, but what more would you like to see?

LTGEN Burr: Since the integrated investment plan that we’ve been executing over the last four years, I think Army has really strengthened its partnership with industry. It has a much more clear understanding of what it means to be a demanding customer, to be clear about future-proofing our requirements, and be driving down the cost of business.

The cost of ownership is a key issue for us in Army, in terms of sustaining these capabilities over time.

They are high tech, they have a lot of sustainment, as well as a number of our legacy platforms and how we keep them going while we introduce these new capabilities. So, lots of opportunities for industry to be on that journey with us, to be a good partner.

Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Rick Burr, AO, DSC, MVO (left), talks with soldiers during the Australian Army’s 119th birthday celebration at Russell Offices, Canberra. Photographer: CPL Sagi Biderman, Department of Defence



But more broadly, in terms of Army, which is distributed all around the country - we literally are a nationally distributed force that provides unique opportunities for SMEs all around the country.

A lot of the things that we do in Army aren’t just the big platforms. There are a lot of little things, which really feeds into that SME sector. We are ripe for innovation.

We have our Innovation Day each year. Because of COVID, we did that virtually. We think that’s a great thing to help smaller innovators to come to the table with their new ideas and to pick some of those and further develop those initiatives.

So, a lot going on in the traditional sense, but also thinking about the future and where we’re going with robotics and autonomous systems. I think [that]

is where a lot of that innovation and partnership can really play out.

Government highlighted that in the Force Structure Plan with a significant investment in the future around autonomous systems.

We’ve obviously started that with our robotics and autonomous systems strategy back in 2018. We set up the Implementation and Coordination Office last year, and we’re doing a lot of experimentation with unmanned and autonomous systems. And I think there’s a really exciting future there.

Of course, people will still be central to everything we do, but that presents a whole new world of innovation and supply chain opportunity for us.

Q&A

Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Rick Burr, AO, DSC, MVO, in the dock of HMAS Adelaide during Operation Bushfire Assist 2020. Photographer: ABIS Thomas Sawtell, Department of Defence



We have a very active engagement program, exercise program, exchange program to build on or to strengthen those person-to-person relationships [and] mutual understanding.

That’s been longstanding. Obviously, a big focus on the south-west Pacific in recent times, but certainly in south-east Asia.

Later this year, we celebrate 50 years of our presence in Malaysia, in RAAF Base Butterworth … That’s an indicator of how long we’ve been present and engaged in the region.

We are growing those relationships every day, in terms of opportunities for collaboration, bilateral relationships, but also multi-lateral relations, both at the single service and at the joint level.

In terms of how we can do more into the future, obviously we’re thinking about … how we’re organised to operate in the continuum, if you like, co-operation competition in particular and, as it’s commonly referred to now, the grey zone.

We have a lot of capabilities that contribute to that, and Army is an active player in terms of building partnerships, the shaping element of our strategy, but also the deterrence.

DC: When you talk about the impact of platforms, doctrine and manpower, which we’ve just had a quick discussion about, can you give some sense for the relationships between Accelerated Warfare and Army in Motion?

LTGEN Burr: I think the philosophy has served us well, because it speaks to the tension between what you’re doing today but the need to continuously and proactively prepare for the future.

Resilience in our supply chain is something that everyone’s focused on, and that’s really being addressed on a number of levels, but government’s defence industry policy, the incentives to do more here in terms of sovereign capability, I think is really strengthening our ability to be more resilient.

DC: Industry is now a fundamental input of capability, which was a great milestone and well received. What would you like to see more of from industry to help support your objectives?

LTGEN Burr: At the departmental level, the industry policy and all of the initiatives around that are really strengthening our departmental approach.

Army doesn’t do this alone. And in the land domain, obviously skilling our people, better educating people in this is an important part of our capability.

Indeed, it is becoming a much stronger career stream, if you like, inside Defence, and Army is helping strengthen that.

We also understand what it means to be a good partner, to embrace the ideas of others, to be open to exploring new ideas and to bring new people onto the team, ultimately with that shared purpose of delivering great capability for our Army and driving down the cost of ownership, and to always seeking the edge.

DC: Is Army capable of responding to and meeting the different challenges and threats in the Indian and Pacific Oceans separately? What’s your view on that?

LTGEN Burr: We are already actively engaged, not just here at home, but in the Pacific and through south-east Asia and Asia.

Follow LTGEN Rick Burr twitter.com/ChiefAusArmy

http://twitter.com/ChiefAusArmy


The future doesn’t just arrive. You don’t just arrive in an organised way. You need to constantly be pulling it towards you, making choices today, making risk-based decisions to make changes now in order to embrace that future and be ready for it on your own terms.

The idea of that future being described as accelerated warfare, the need to be an Army in motion continuously changing, speaks to that.

DC: Based on the evolving geopolitical landscape and these doctrines, how are you ensuring their relevance today versus their relevance tomorrow or maybe five years’ time? Can you see the Army deviating too far away from where it is right now?

LTGEN Burr: With people at its centre or at its core, achieving their potential, doing it in partnership with others, grounded as a profession; that’s its central idea.

To manage that across a large Army enterprise, a very complex system, we have introduced the Army Operating System, which allows us to break it down into a land capability system, to manage all of these capability aspects, the people capability system.

This helps to think of our people as a capability and a key element of delivering these outcomes, and preparedness system, with a more strategic front around how we think of all of this coming together to help us make those risk-based and time-based decisions about what changes we need to make.

Q&A

Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Rick Burr, AO, DSC, MVO and Thales CEO Chris Jenkins at Russell Offices, Canberra for the full-rate production announcement of Australian Army Hawkei Protected Mobility Vehicle. Photographer: Jay Cronan, Department of Defence



Q&A

A s the Australian Army continues to embark upon the implementation of ‘Army in Motion’ doctrine,

innovation, technology and industry all work together in conjunction to deliver a cutting-edge capability for the future ‘joint force’.

As a fundamental input to capability, industry is at the forefront of Army delivering the ‘Army in Motion’ concept and supporting doctrines of ‘Accelerated Warfare’ and the development of a ‘Networked and Hardened’ Army.

INNOVATION, R&D AND THE FUTURE OF RHEINMETALL’S PLANS FOR AUSTRALIAN

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT

Rheinmetall Defence Australia is at the forefront of driving Australian industry development through the LAND 400 program. As part of this, the company is building a robust R&D capability

which will keep the ADF at the cutting edge of capability

Delivering such capabilities requires a dedicated commitment to developing sovereign industrial capability and working with the end user to establish technology development priorities in response to existing and emerging challenges.

Enter Rheinmetall Defence Australia, which is playing a critical role in supporting the development of a robust innovation and research and development capability to support the needs of the Australian warfighter today and tomorrow.

Q&A with Gary Stewart, managing director of Rheinmetall Defence Australia


Q&A

Speaking exclusively to Defence Connect, Rheinmetall Defence Australia (RDA) managing director Gary Stewart took the time to answer some questions and shed some light on the company’s innovation agenda.

Defence Connect: R&D plays an important role in RDA’s ambitions in Australia – can you highlight some of the focal points and what they mean for RDA’s relationships with the existing and future supply chain partners?

Gary Stewart: RDA is focused on the introduction of emerging technology to Australia from Rheinmetall research and product development internationally, and its application in the Australian academic and research community to seed the development of leading technology products for Defence.

RDA have formed a series of strategic and research relationships in Australia, in a very short time frame, with CSIRO, DST Group and a number of Australian universities, with the aim to target specific research foci leveraging the very best that Australian research has to offer.

These include perception-based technologies, artificial intelligence and machine learning for autonomous systems in the short term and materials research for military vehicle applications in the medium term.

RDA are developing an extensive supply chain in Australia, for both current and future programs, and with a select few leading technology industry partners, to target product specific R&D activities aimed at the development of next-generation military platforms.

RDAs R&D efforts are focused on delivering the following benefits to Australia:

Providing Army with a force multiplier effect, delivering quality and value in our products/services etc;

Helping Rheinmetall to secure major Defence programs, both locally and internationally;

Being active as a leading defence prime in Australia;

Striving for technical superiority to enable the development of high technology products for Defence;

Creation of high technology jobs in Australia; and

Supporting local industry.

How does our R&D work to support these focal points?

Our technology can extend the life of type of platforms and adds value to existing products;

Our global collaboration means we are able to develop technology faster and with more capability than if developing in Australia alone;

We have access to technology and specialists through our global partners, which isn’t readily available in Australia, but we sponsor transfer of technology to enable sovereign development of capability. Likewise, we are exporting our expertise and technology to support future collaboration projects;

We are employing 50+ researchers from four local academic and government research agencies for ACW alone;

RDA has invested $9.3 million to support local research. Around $5 million of this has been awarded to local research institutions;

Where possible, we’re using Australian developed sensors, knowledge, skills and equipment to support our development.


DC: How are some of the R&D programs in Industry 4.0, lightweight metals and metals 3D printing shaping RDA’s offering for LAND 400 and for future development in autonomous ground systems?

GS: RDA is working on a range of R&D projects in various levels of maturation, including autonomous systems, lightweight metals and metals 3D printing.

RDA is aligning, wherever practical, the research objectives and goals across our research and academic partners with Defence strategic planning objectives contained in documents such as the Army RAS Strategy 2018, the Defence Strategic Update 2020, the Force Structure Plan 2020 and the Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority Industry Plan 2020.

Reducing vehicle weight and vehicle design complexity could have possible application in Defence vehicles and, in many respects, this could be by using additive manufacturing techniques. For example, combining multiple vehicle components into one to reduce the bill of materials, improve quality, structural integrity, reduce costs and decrease manufacturing time.

DC: R&D is never done in isolation – particularly in the autonomous space. How are RDA’s international relationships paving the way for R&D collaboration, how is Australian industry fitting within the R&D programs and what skills, specialities and expertise does Australia bring to the development of autonomous ground vehicles?

GS: RDA have fostered an open and collaborative approach to autonomous systems research and product development with our North American and European businesses to ensure that we leverage the relative strengths in each jurisdiction.

We are actively participating in autonomous systems development and experimentation programs globally, both within Rheinmetall and with a variety of customers, in an effort to best meet the varying needs of different customers. RDA commenced planning for the ACW program in late 2018 and launched the program in February 2020.

This research program is already starting to show promise in a number of areas. Product improvements stemming from Australian research in ACW will be shared across Rheinmetall autonomous systems development programs globally. Using the same approach based on autonomous systems requirements and developments from Rheinmetall in North America and Europe, Australian research and industry partners are able to participate in our global R&D programs to develop autonomous systems (and a range of other) products.

In Australia, we are focused on software engineering, AI development and machine learning skillsets to complement our systems engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering and military vehicle design and development expertise.

DC: What platforms have currently been developed, how do they fit within the land domain capability plan – what is the growth path and how is Australian industry working to support the development of niche capabilities in this space?

GS: Rheinmetall have developed a wide range of platforms in recent years, including the Boxer CRV family of vehicles, the LYNX IFV, the Protected Medium and Heavy [HX family] logistic vehicles and the introduction into Australia of autonomous systems for research, development and experimentation, such as the Mission Master UGV and the Autonomous Wiesel vehicle.


Rheinmetall have built the Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence in south-east Queensland, with extensive design, manufacturing, test and support capabilities aimed at supporting Defence for all Land Domain platforms up to and including a Main Battle Tank.

Rheinmetall is leveraging its already expanding Australian supply chain to further maximise AIC across its existing programs and develop an enduring sovereign defence industry capability that will locally produce combat vehicles of exceptional quality for Australia and for export.

DC: Autonomous Combat Warrior is currently in development across Rheinmetall – what is the latest with this capability? How is it changing to respond to the rapidly evolving threat environment?

GS: ACW is a three phase, five-plus year program of research and product development that commenced in February 2020. The program, in concert with our

research and academic partners, aims to develop on-vehicle technology that will allow future autonomous systems to work with troops rather than be operated by troops.

Rheinmetall autonomous systems technology provides a solid foundation for ACW as we have already developed leader/follower, convoy mode, autonomous navigation and operation in GPS denied environments.

ACW is using this solid foundation technology baseline to target specific areas of research within Australian research partners to solve the problems encountered with the use of tactical autonomous systems in complex environments today, and to prove the technology advancements that will facilitate trusted human-machine teaming tomorrow. DST Group and Rheinmetall are developing an on-vehicle dynamic decision-making system that will fundamentally change the way that autonomous systems operate with troops in tactical settings.

Q&A

CSIRO, QUT, RMIT and DSTG researchers – all participating in the Rheinmetall Autonomous Combat Warrior program


CSIRO, QUT and Rheinmetall are developing an advanced terrain detection system that will be capable of detecting and classifying terrains that are traditionally very confusing for autonomous systems, such as water and mud. CSIRO, QUT and Rheinmetall are developing a vision recognition system that can recognise and classify human movement, including gross body movement and hand gestures to enable future autonomous systems to operate in close proximity with troops.

RMIT and Rheinmetall are developing an advanced machine learning and autonomous systems simulation capability that will train on-vehicle autonomous systems, can be used for training soldiers in the operation of and with autonomous systems, and for after action analysis and reporting.

DC: What are some of the capability developments that are currently underway ahead of integration with the platform? How much growth is available in the platform, what avenues can Australian industry play in developing this capability?

GS: Assuming, by platform, you mean the Rheinmetall autonomous kit; there are a range of activities underway globally to continually improve the capability,

its performance and the tuning of the algorithms to suit the various mobility characteristics of each platform that the A-Kit is integrated with.

RDA are planning significant growth in the A-Kit and complementary systems over the life of the ACW program, which involve the use of different sensors, sensor fusion and increasing levels of processing power.

RDA is investigating the potential input from Australian industry for additional sensor technology and payloads for ACW Phase 2, due to commence in August 2021.

For ACW Phase 3 (2023-2025) Australian research partner and industry partner involvement will expand again.

DC: AI is gaining prominence across the domains – but most of the emphasis is placed on aerial or maritime platforms – how is AI evolving in the land domain?

GS: RDA and DST Group are developing an on-vehicle dynamic decision-making system that is aware of the tactical environment, is aware of what its human team mates are doing and why, and can perform a range of vehicle outputs/tasks that are understood and expected by human team mates.

We aim for future autonomous systems working with an infantry section, for example, to have an understanding of infantry tactics, the threat environment, and can recognise what infantry troops are doing through human behaviours and what actions the humans want the autonomous systems to perform based on a range of hand gesture inputs. In this sense, we see AI evolving to enable less restricted autonomous movement of vehicles in cross country terrains using our VRS and ATD developments and that they operate as part of the team rather than being operated by dedicated troops within the team.

Wiesel Autonomous Combat Warrior


T oday’s battlespace is an increasingly contested and challenging environment for Australian forces

that demands technological advantage over threat forces and maintenance of the individual’s capability edge.

Whether it is counter insurgency operations involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs), or a new battlespace where our soldiers are engaged against peer and near-peer competitors that increasingly utilise diverse intelligence and unmanned systems capabilities, our forces will be required to achieve capability overmatch to succeed. Further complicating this environment is the ever-present threat of chemical, biological, radiological and other explosive weapons systems, broadening the key threat spectrum and fundamentally reshaping the capacity, survivability and interconnectivity requirements of the conventional military, special operations forces and other whole of government agencies.

VETERAN EXPERIENCE, INVESTMENT IN R&D AND DELIVERING

GENUINE SOVEREIGN CAPABILITY

Five Eyes and NATO ‘on the ground’ operational experience serves as the driving force behind EPE’s investment in

developing sovereign industry capacity and R&D outcomes to deliver life-saving capability for the Australian warfighter

Part of the solution lies in the development of capability through sovereign based capacity built from operational experience and specialist focus. EPE is a trusted, veteran-owned Australian company that specialises in the domains of counter-IED, EOD, counter-CBRNe, Force Protection ECM and counter-UAS.

Speaking to Defence Connect, Scott Corrigan, director of capability, draws on his own experience with the Special Operations Engineering Regiment (SOER) to inform EPE’s capability offering in the challenging battlespace: “We have been able to build a team over the last decade that consists of defence and law enforcement veterans with ‘domain’ technical knowledge, mixed with decades of ‘boots on the ground’ Five Eyes, NATO and domestic operational experience.

“We continue to track global threat trends and apply our experience to determine what this means for current capability,

Feature


and future vulnerabilities. EPE has a single purpose and that is to deliver world leading specialist capabilities either directly, or through our partnerships, that ensures our warfighters remain at the cutting edge with the capability advantage.”

Over the last decade, EPE has delivered and currently supports some key components within Defence and whole of government capabilities. Corrigan explains further, “For Land Systems Division (LSD) EPE provides 100 per cent of EOD personal protective equipment (PPE), and the largest EOD and search unmanned ground vehicle (UGVs) fleet currently in service.

“We also have a long-term performance-based contract to sustain ‘Force Protection Electronic Counter Measure (ECM) Fleets’ for Electronic Systems Division (ESD). This project has another added dimension in that for the last eight years we have been able to support a continual and

unbroken 365-days-a-year field support representative commitment into the Middle East area of operations (MEAO).”

In 2012, EPE delivered an EOD and Explosive Detection Dog Training Project that was able to surge specialist explosive ordnance training and canine capability directly to support the warfighter in Afghanistan.

Corrigan says, “The canine project has been one of the most enjoyable projects EPE has delivered to date. Explosive Detection Dog capability is a real force multiplier in finding IEDs and saving lives, and we felt we made a significant contribution. Our training services remain strong, with EPE scheduled to deliver over 450 instructor days of training to Australian and NZ Defence Forces over the financial year ending 2021. When you add the 2,700 plus portable CBRNe sensors EPE has delivered over the last three years into multiple whole of government programs, we do generate

TALON Robot platform in-service with ADF


and sustain a good portion of current Defence capability in our niche area.”

The Commonwealth government’s push for developing truly sovereign industrial capability as a fundamental input to Defence capacity, with an emphasis on innovation and staying at the cutting edge, has seen the company grow from strength-to-strength both locally and around the world.

Corrigan tells Defence Connect, “We have enhanced our relationships with the academic and R&D communities, with state, federal, tertiary and vocational education and training to ensure that we develop local capacity from conceptualisation and design through to manufacturing. As part of EPE’s five-year plan, we are investing heavily to significantly grow our integration, test and assurance, validation and prototyping capabilities across our CIED, EOD, CBRNe sensor portfolio and unmanned systems platforms. We have a specific drive to enable Defence to have the options to deliver many of its capabilities via autonomous and semi-autonomous systems, which are needed to support the diverse range of missions required today and tomorrow.

“The counter-CBRN capability has been a primary focus of EPE for some time and given the mission requirements for the ADF – we want to continue to support this capability by providing next generation CBRNe sensor fusion from the operator or platform, back to the overarching C2 capability. Other initiatives in this area include a significant Defence Innovation Hub submission with a Commonwealth research partner, which will provide EPE with some significant commercialisation opportunities.”

These impressive capabilities are further enhanced by the company’s growing investments in unmanned and autonomous platforms, as well as the human-machine

teaming capabilities currently at the top of the priority list for Defence.

Corrigan adds, “EPE has recently won three separate projects to deliver new unmanned system platforms into Defence’s expanding autonomous programs. We have invested time and resources into staff capabilities for developing robotics, particularly in the counter-IED and C-CBRNe missions, but the focus for the future is upon collaborating with Defence’s autonomous and robotics capabilities in the human-autonomous teaming systems.

“Our true sovereign industrial capability advantage is about how we bring all of this together through training, technology platforms, sensors and effectors to generate capabilities to enable our clients to achieve their mission efficiently and effectively, with a high degree of safety. It is also about how we assist to reinforce regional capacity and sustain an ability to capture international best practice.

“We pride ourselves in the fact that we have grown and established significant international traction to the point where our New Zealand subsidiary was awarded the New Zealand Defence Ministers Award for Project Delivery Excellence; and with our US team over the last month securing our first contracts to provide CBRNe sensors and unmanned systems directly into both the US Military and State Department projects.”

As a trusted partner to primes, or in partnership with other SMEs, EPE will continue to build business processes that are equally trustworthy. EPE looks forward to continuing to deliver complete capability to Defence, law enforcement, emergency services and other government agencies in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as into North America. Together we will optimise Australian industry capability for the men and women in the fight.

TRUSTED. PROVEN. AUSTRALIAN.Protecting Defence Personnel Against Evolving Threats.

Feature

https://www.epequip.com/

TRUSTED. PROVEN. AUSTRALIAN.Protecting Defence Personnel Against Evolving Threats.

https://www.epequip.com/


O ur annual revenue of over $200 million and the investments we make stay here in Australia,

contributing to the national economy and providing local jobs now and into the future. In the past five years alone, we’ve invested over $17 million into research and development and new technologies.

We’re Australians with a global perspective. We solve problems that really matter for organisations all over the world, exporting Australian know-how by

20 YEARS DELIVERING

SOVEREIGN CAPABILITY TO

AUSTRALIA Nova Systems is Australia’s largest owned and controlled defence engineering services company and we’ve been

building Australian capability for over 20 years

applying our intellect and knowledge to complex systems engineering.

Nova employs 650 talented and dedicated professionals across our strategically located offices in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Norway, and Singapore. We also engage an additional 200 professionals who are strategic partners that make up our local supply chain.

For over two decades we’ve been working closely with clients such as the Australian Defence Force and the New Zealand Defence Force to deliver solutions in response to complex challenges.

Nova recognises the Land Force is continuing to become increasingly integrated and complex as it continues to adopt new technologies and capabilities. To enable our clients to meet these challenges, Nova draws upon our strong heritage in supporting Defence and

By Steven RobinsonANZ CEO, Nova Systems

Nova Systems


defence industries through our specialist capabilities in test and evaluation, certification and systems assurance.

Coupling our land domain expertise with our capabilities and experience in aerospace and maritime complex system acquisition and capability realisation enables us to bring a unique and holistic view of the way complex systems interact and provide leading-edge support to land projects, including:

LAND 121-4: Hawkei Protected Mobility Vehicle

LAND 121-3B-5B: Medium and Heavy Transportation Capability

LAND 400 Phase 2 and Phase 3: Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle and Infantry Fighting Vehicle

LAND 2110: Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence Project

Test and Evaluation support to Land Test and Evaluation Agency (LTEA) across all major Army projects

LAND 154-2: Deployable Forensic Laboratory Project

Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle – Medium (PMV-M)

CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopter

MRH-90 tactical troop transport helicopters

Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter

RQ-7B Shadow 200 UAV

Explosive Material Branch Integrated Work Package

Our people combine operating experience with highly developed system engineering skills, to enable our clients to gain the most value from their assets across

Erin Madden as Trail Manager for the Operational Test and Evaluation Trails on the Land 121Ph4 Project, Protected Mobility Vehicle-Light (PMV-L)


the whole life cycle. We work as part of integrated project teams to develop and deliver projects on time, within budget and to required level of quality reliably and consistently.

Nova has also been a key support to Australia’s surveillance capability, delivering services successfully over many years across capabilities such as Air Force’s E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) and the Australian Defence Force’s fixed base defence air traffic management and control system.

This experience, along with our deeply embedded geospatial and situational awareness capability, ensures Nova has the experience to support programs crucial to national defence.

In 2018, Nova Systems, leading Team Nova, was selected as the only 100 per cent Australian owned and controlled Major Service Provider (MSP) to the Capability, Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG).

Under the MSP framework, Team Nova became a strategic partner to Land Systems

Division and commenced supporting Land Engineering Agency, Armoured Vehicle Division and Land Manoeuvre Systems Branch. The five-year partnership will support Land Systems Division to meet the acquisition and sustainment needs of the current and future Australian Army.

As Australia’s role in Indo-Pacific Asia and the strategic balance of power continues to evolve, the Australian Army will be called upon to fulfil a range of roles beyond those it has conducted over the past 50 years.

We are a trusted partner when it comes to our engineering and technology offerings and look forward to leveraging these to deliver tailored solutions to the Australian Army now and into the future, to ensure they can respond to the national security agenda as it continues to evolve.

Brought to you by

Nova Systems

Nathan Coleman working on the Land 121 Ph3B and 5B (Project Overlander) team providing Operational Test and Evaluation for the Medium Heavy Capability trucks

https://novasystems.com/

Nova contact: Chief Executive Officer ANZ - Steven Robinson | Telephone: +61 8 8252 7100

Nova Systems is the largest Australian owned and controlled defence engineering services company. Since our foundation in Adelaide 20 years ago, Nova Systems and its people have been growing and providing sovereign capability to the Australian Defence Force – playing a critical role in the defence and security of our nation.

As an organisation which has grown from two employees 20 years ago, to over 850 across Australia and around the globe, we are accustomed to navigating and finding

solutions to solve the problems that matter with pace and agility.

20 YEARS OF PROVIDING SOVEREIGN AUSTRALIAN CAPABILITY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS THAT REALLY MATTER

Find out morenovasystems.com/sovereign-capability

http://novasystems.com/sovereign-capability/


A cross the battlespace, individual soldiers and commanders are bombarded by a range of information

aggregated from a wealth of embedded and allied sensors forming a cross section of data for tasking, often complicating the decision-making process. Further to this, the disparate number of information gathering and processing platforms and resources, even when operating the same piece of technology, between services and allied armed forces pose a major roadblock to effective interoperability.

For Luminact, information exchange has never been more important to the warfighter and is essential to the success of operations. Speaking to Defence Connect, Luminact director David Abel explains the growing importance of information exchange in the contemporary battlespace.

“Decisions are based on information, defining the information context ensures

INFORMATION SUPREMACY EQUALS BATTLEFIELD DOMINANCE IN THE ERA OF

MULTI-DOMAIN OPERATIONS

The Army, like the rest of the ADF, is undergoing a transformational recapitalisation designed to make it ‘networked and hardened’. A key part of this is the capacity to seamlessly gather and share information

across multiple sensors and effectors to dominate the battlespace

confidence, preventing delay in reacting to a situation,” he says.

In order to understand the importance of information exchange and its role in securing information supremacy, Luminact provides a critical definition guiding the company’s approach to supporting information exchange in the contested battlespace. Luminact says, “Information Exchange Requirement (IER): An IER describes a requirement for an element of information to be exchanged between two or more entities. An IER has associated constraints (timeliness, importance or classification) and is independent of the exchange mechanism.

“With a greater focus on common platform integration, as well as the Commonwealth driving cost effective ways of procuring and supporting the future capability needs, the IER capture process is becoming a key aspect to success.”

Feature


Building on this, Abel explains the growing importance of IER for Defence, telling Defence Connect, “There is a tendency to define IERs with technology in mind rather than a requirement of need, with complex platforms its important to first understand the information need.”

As information gathering, analysis and dissemination becomes increasingly important to the warfighter, as the lines between traditional domains become increasingly blurred, information exchange, information synthesis and analysis provides an important edge for the ADF.

The tempo of modern combat operations, whether it is in counter insurgency, humanitarian and disaster relief, or as is becoming concerningly likely, against peer or a near-peer competitor, means that information capture will have to overcome a range of additional challenges.

These challenges range from congested and contested operating environments, cyber challenges, active and passive jamming capabilities and the advent of new technologies and capabilities including

quantum computing, artificial intelligence and human-machine teaming.

Geographic realities of the battlespace add further complexities for individual soldiers, commanding officers and the nation’s decision makers, meaning that information gathering, dissemination and analysis needs to be less about a “stovepipe” approach and more targeted towards collaboration.

“With information collaboration you get cohesion, not only at a node but across the network,” Abel says.

As the ADF continues to evolve into a joint force with various ‘sensors’ and ‘effectors’ capable of gathering, disseminating and effecting either individually or in a combined arms force, so too are allied forces around the region.

Indeed, the ADF’s transformation into a fifth-generation fighting force, kicked off by ‘catalyst’ capabilities like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Hobart Class destroyers and Army’s future Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicles is providing the basis for many allies seeking to follow suit.

Luminact co-founders and directors David Abel (left) and Andrew Skinner


Army’s concept of a ‘networked and hardened’ force and the supporting recapitalisation and modernisation efforts embody the importance and premise of reliable, timely information exchange between a range of platforms and capabilities operating in a constant state of motion.

“Remaining ‘clear and consistent’ when defining the constraints to an information exchange requirement will maintain the intent of the requirement to the user.”

Each of Army’s future platforms, whether it is Boxer CRV, the Army’s future attack helicopter, the successful contender in LAND 400 Phase 3 alongside, Raytheon’s successful LAND 19B offering of NASAMS and myriad other platforms all will depend on knitting together and the seamless flow of information.

As Australia continues to play a pivotal part of coalition operations, information gathering, sharing and effecting between coalition partners will be equally important and come to form the basis of the broader interoperability Australia and its allies are attempting to develop.

“In the process of defining the IER, the exchange technology allows you to

understand any potential gap in capability. This is key to understanding the level of interoperability achievable in a given environment,” Abel says.

As an organisation that prides itself on being vendor agnostic, Luminact is able to perform a trusted role in above the line systems integration and interoperability, with a focus on achieving the highest levels of information exchange and bringing the greatest capabilities to the war fighter for the lowest cost.

Founded in 2016, Luminact was created by a group of like-minded professionals looking to make an impact in consulting and professional services. Luminact brings a wealth of experience in leading multi-national private companies, consulting in above-the-line government agencies, and working with small to medium specialist organisations across Australia and Europe.

Luminact is all about bringing together the best team of intelligent and critical thinkers, with the right experience to shed light on complicated problems and complex systems. As a company, Luminact believes it is important to empower its team to take dynamic action and give them the freedom to innovate when finding solutions.

Feature

David Abel and Andrew Skinner integrating a GVA compliant terminal to the concept demonstrator platform, in preparation for Land Forces 2021

http://www.luminact.com.au/

mailto:info%40luminact.com.au?subject=Defence%20Connect

https://twitter.com/luminactptyltd?lang=en

https://www.linkedin.com/company/luminact/


HENSOLDT Australia has grown from a product and support house to the major primes, to a

company supporting the ADF as a prime in its own right, working on programs such as AIR 5431 Phase 2 - the ADF Air Traffic Control Complex Infrastructure Project - and Navy’s Anzac Class frigates, to the new Supply Class fleet oilers.

While most of HENSOLDT Australia’s recent emphasis has been heavily focused on Navy and Air Force radar modernisation programs, HENSOLDT has a long history of delivering and sustaining key capabilities for the Australian Army - providing self-protection systems for the Army’s ARH Tiger and MRH-90 Taipan.

Jon Wachman, managing director of HENSOLDT Australia, spoke with Defence Connect about the company’s humble beginnings and its growing ambition to expand support offerings to the ADF.

“HENSOLDT Australia was incorporated as a company in October 2019, but we had a branch in Australia since 2018 and a legacy of in-country support for over 10 years. We have been growing steadily, delivering to a diverse range of programs,

SHIFTING GEARSTO KEEP ARMY AT THE CUTTING EDGEHENSOLDT Australia has a long and proud history of

supporting the ADF, providing key capabilities to Air Force and Navy, with eyes firmly set on growing the company’s space, air,

land and sea programs across Australia and New Zealand

from Navy’s capital ships, Canberra and Adelaide, to air traffic control (ATC) radar systems, support for regional and south-east Asian customers, optical systems to support Australian Border Force and the countermeasures and self-protection suite for Army’s MRH-90s and ARH Tigers,” Wachman explained.

As a forward-thinking company, HENSOLDT Australia is focused on leveraging both international and local capabilities to keep the ADF at the forefront of capability advancements.

Army is one focus for the company, with a suite of capabilities ranging from the Multifunctional Self Protection System (MUSS), an active defensive capability for armoured vehicles and other defensive platforms, including the company’s Xpeller man-portable, fixed and vehicle mounted counter-UAS platform; all designed to improve the survivability and lethality of the Australian Army.

Wachman told Defence Connect, “Our lineage as both a domestic and global company means we can provide best-of-breed capabilities to the Australian Army, using an Australian workforce, with local know-how.

Feature




“The diversity of skills within the workforce enables us to deliver fixed and portable capabilities around the country, at established and expeditionary-focused defence infrastructure. Our Xpeller platform, for example, is a piece of kit that is at the forefront of this capability offering.”

The MUSS platform is currently fitted to a range of wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles, including the German Army’s Puma infantry fighting vehicle, the predecessor to Rheinmetall’s KF-41 Lynx currently undergoing testing for the LAND 400 Phase 3 program, and Britain’s Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank.

This specialisation in countermeasures has also seen the company develop robust, collaborative relationships with DST to support the development

of a suite of locally designed and manufactured countermeasures for a range of army platforms.

Wachman told Defence Connect, “As a company, we relish the opportunity to work with organisations like Defence Science and Technology. We’re currently working with DST on a range of products that will eventually be HENSOLDT Australia products to then be translated back through the global HENSOLDT supply chain.”

“We’ve also got a wealth of growth opportunity in the passive radar and space domain, a specialisation that HENSOLDT has a significant track record in. The added bonus of having a European parent means the capabilities we develop and offer aren’t bound by ITAR restrictions and can deliver capability to the warfighter more quickly.”

Xpeller delivers 360 degree situational awareness



These relationships, combined with the fact that they’re platform ‘agnostic’, meaning they’re not married to a specific capability platform, enables the company to focus solely on the requirements and needs of the end user. This provides substantial room for growth.

Wachman said, “It is an exciting time for us, as a company, to truly focus on our customers and expand the capability offering to the ADF, with our growing list of Australian industry partners.”

About HENSOLDT HENSOLDT is a pioneer of technology and innovation in the area of defence and security electronics. The company, headquartered in Germany, is a leading European provider in the field of sensor solutions for defence and non-defence applications. With currently more than 5,500 employees, HENSOLDT generated revenues of €1.14 billion in 2019.

HENSOLDT Australia Pty Ltd is a leading radar solutions and services provider. We

offer radar support, testing, training and installation services to the Australian Defence Force, extending our support to other agencies in Australia and across the APAC region.

We are also geared to provide through-life support, partnering with in-market operators for sustained performance.

Part of the HENSOLDT Group of Companies, HENSOLDT Australia is headquartered in Canberra, with a team of dedicated specialists to support various clients and programs across Australia. We have a long-standing relationship with DST and an established fleet, including a large number of self-protection solutions on various in-service airborne platforms.

Although HENSOLDT Australia was incorporated as a company, following the acquisition of IE Asia-Pacific Pty Ltd in October 2019, HENSOLDT has been operating in Australia for many years, introducing leading technologies, delivering radars, electronic warfare systems, electro-optronic devices and air traffic control equipment to our customers.

www.hensoldt.net

HENSOLDT has over 100 years of experience as a high-quality solutionsprovider for the defence and security sector. We produce market-leadingtechnologies across established and emerging domains, keeping frontlineforces safe. HENSOLDT’s integrated solutions combine technologies tomeet even the most stringent demands.

Detect and ProtectIn today’s complex world, HENSOLDT’s integrated solutions make a difference.

Feature

HENSOLDT Australia, 50 Collie St Fyshwick ACT



https://www.hensoldt.net/

www.hensoldt.net

HENSOLDT has over 100 years of experience as a high-quality solutionsprovider for the defence and security sector. We produce market-leadingtechnologies across established and emerging domains, keeping frontlineforces safe. HENSOLDT’s integrated solutions combine technologies tomeet even the most stringent demands.

Detect and ProtectIn today’s complex world, HENSOLDT’s integrated solutions make a difference.



T he company has worked in support of the Australian Defence Force for more than 30 years, growing over

the decades to now employ a workforce of around 3,000 personnel nationwide in its defence businesses alone.

“We’ve got a presence pretty much on every Defence base around the country, which is something we’re pretty proud of,” Derek Osborn, group executive for defence and social infrastructure, said.

The company secured its first ADF contract in the early 1980s after establishing a naval shipbuilding arm in Australia. Among its first projects was the construction of two FFG-7 Oliver Hazard Perry Class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy. This essential contract to build warships for the RAN paved the way for the company to grow its presence with the ADF. Shortly after, Transfield Services secured the largest Defence contract in Australia at the time in 1989 - a $6 billion contract to build 10 Anzac Class frigates for the Australian and New Zealand navies.

Today, Broadspectrum holds a number of ongoing contracts that are essential to

BUILDING A LEGACY

Founded in 1956, originally as Transfield Services, Broadspectrum (now a Ventia company) is an Australian and New Zealand enterprise that operates in essential

infrastructure maintenance and asset management services

“support and maintain” the day-to-day operations of the Australian Defence estate.

“We perform military vehicle and equipment maintenance and repair, and then a range of logistics contracts like managing clothing stores for Joint Logistics Command,” Osborn said.

“We also have a long relationship with ASC at the Osborne Shipyard in Adelaide where we do quite detailed and specialist ship corrosion protection painting and confined space work, and we’ve done that on Navy’s air warfare destroyers and just started working on the offshore patrol vessels. Importantly, we are extremely proud to provide essential services that are a fundamental input to Defence capability.”

Broadspectrum was recently acquired by essential services provider Ventia, in a move that is set to enhance the company’s capacity to provide ongoing support to the ADF.

According to Osborn, the goals of Broadspectrum and Ventia are “complementary”, making the two companies stronger together.

Feature


For Defence in particular, Osborn noted that the joining of the businesses “definitely broadens and deepens our capability, and widens our range of expertise”, while providing Broadspectrum access to a “bigger platform” for investment in technology and future innovation. Despite the change, Osborn said Broadspectrum’s commitment to its clients will “absolutely stay the same”, following the Ventia acquisition.

“Above all else, our major focus remains on the safety and health of our people, our clients and our communities,” he said. “There is nothing more important than ensuring everyone gets to go home safely, every single day. We also care deeply about our impact on the environment and the legacy we leave for future generations.”

Looking to the future of Broadspectrum, the company has recently completed its bid on the Deployable Force Infrastructure

Project, or LAND 8140; the first tranche of which will see the ADF invest in modernising deployable sanitation, catering, water management and treatment, shelters, and power generation. Osborn has named the solution: ‘modular field systems’.

“It’s a clean slate design, so we’ve gone about it from the ground up,” Osborn explained, stating that the project was a “challenge” to develop something that is going to “absolutely fit” the needs of the ADF now, and into the future.

The Broadspectrum design includes “bespoke generators, deployable kennel systems, and hygiene systems that are all highly mobile, which we think is obviously necessary to meet the scope”.

According to Osborn, the ‘modular field systems’ name stems from “the interoperability that underpins everything” in the offering.

1995. The keel of HMAS Arunta, the third of ten Anzac Frigates


“For example, the generators can be connected into sequence to increase power output as the power demand increases. You can simply add more generators into the grid,” he said.

Further, the generator frames have been “specifically designed to be fully interoperable” with existing army infrastructure, said Osborn.

“To give an example, four small generators, or two large generators will fit inside one of Defence’s joint modular intermodal containers; they call them JMICs,” he said.

“But, effectively, our design fits perfectly into a JMIC, so we’re trying to make sure that everything we do fundamentally fits into their overall existing logistics solution. Whether it’s a shower, a kitchen, a kennel, the generators; everything will fit into the defence system, and they can effectively plug and play, so that they can take what they need, where they need it, when they need it.”

The Broadspectrum design will also fit into the ADF’s existing vehicle fleets, both in medium and heavy vehicles, said Osborn.

Important to Broadspectrum’s bid, as well as their future developments moving forward, is the ability to plan not just to answer today’s needs, but also tomorrow’s.

“We’re thinking about how could we take these generators, in particular, from a diesel, to a hybrid and then to non-fossil fuels, so that we’re not producing a system just for today,” Osborn said.

The Broadspectrum solution has other benefits too, he noted.

“It’s lighter weight, it’s reduced noise, it’s lower total cost of ownership, it’s easily supported in the field, and it’s a national support base,” Osborn said. “I think if there’s one thing that, more than anything else, we’re proud of, is that we are going to hit 100 per cent of the Army’s essential requirements. And we’re designing everything from scratch using five local small and medium enterprises.

“So, all of that to us is really critical. There’ll be 22 new jobs produced, and we’ll introduce 11 new vendors into the Defence supply chain.”

Feature

Broadspectrum operates directly with Army at Defence sites nationally

A VENTIA COMPANY

DEPLOYABLE FORCE INFRASTRUCTUREA FULLY COMPLIANT SOLUTION WHOLLY DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN AUSTRALIA

• Generators • Highly Mobile Hygiene Systems • Highly Mobile Catering Systems • Deployable Kennel Systems

OUR COMMITMENT• New Australian jobs• New Australian Defence vendors• 100% Project spend in Australia

https://www.ventia.com/broadspectrum


R heinmetall has rich history of developing world-leading military vehicles and autonomous vehicle

systems that ensure its customers world-wide are at the leading edge of this exciting new capability. As Germany’s largest Defence company and a Tier One supplier of automotive technology globally, ongoing research and development to deliver this capability is in our corporate DNA.

In February this year, Rheinmetall Defence Australia established a dedicated research and technology team in Australia, which

RHEINMETALL R&T TEAM HITS EARLY

MILESTONESJust seven months after launching its first research and development partnerships in Australia, Rheinmetall is making significant gains in the global race to deliver autonomous systems that facilitate trusted

human-machine teaming in complex military environments

turned its immediate focus to autonomous systems for military vehicles. This was a natural step for RDA as its 450-strong team of employees deliver major logistic and tactical vehicle programs for the Commonwealth of Australia including the Land 121 Phase 3B/5B and the Land 400 Phase 2 program. These programs alone will see more than 3,800 Rheinmetall vehicles deployed across Australia in the next decade. This builds on a fleet of many thousands of Rheinmetall military vehicles in service with armed forces around the world.

Traditional autonomous vehicle systems have difficulty detecting and classifying complex terrains such as water or identifying mud that can bog a military vehicle in cross-country terrain without specific human inputs. Rheinmetall aims to prove that Australian research teams can develop the technology advancements today that will, for example, enable autonomous vehicle systems to detect water and then

By Paul FinchDirector Research and Technology, Rheinmetall Defence Australia

Rheinmetall


classify that water as a river, lake or puddle that can, or cannot be traversed.

To deliver this capability, Rheinmetall has brought together some of this country’s best robotics and autonomous systems minds from Defence Science and Technology Group (DST Group), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and world leading academic research from the Queensland Institute of Technology (QUT) and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). Funded by Rheinmetall and now comprising more than 60 personnel, this team forms the Autonomous Combat Warrior (ACW) Research and Technology program.

The ACW program runs over three phases of research and product development. Its overarching aim is developing advanced sovereign technologies supporting on-vehicle artificial intelligence, perception technologies and machine learning that will allow autonomous vehicles to operate with Australian troops in tactical environments rather than be operated by Australian troops. Systems developed by the ACW program will allow Army to generate combat mass, to

increase operational tempo and significantly reduce risk to Australian troops deployed on operations. It will also help Army move away from using Xbox video game controllers to operate deployed military autonomous systems and to allow Australian soldiers the ability operate in more natural and human ways with their machine teammates.

ACW’s work program comprises a number of streams where dedicated teams from each partner work with Rheinmetall engineers across a range of tasks that include:

DST Group and Rheinmetall are developing an on-vehicle dynamic decision-making system that will fundamentally change the way that autonomous systems operate with troops in tactical settings.

CSIRO, QUT and Rheinmetall are developing an advanced terrain detection system that will be capable of detecting and classifying terrains that are traditionally very confusing for autonomous systems, such as water and mud.

CSIRO, QUT and Rheinmetall are developing a vision recognition system that can recognise and classify human

Wiesel Autonomous Combat Warrior


body movements, including gross body movement and hand gestures to enable future autonomous systems the ability to safely operate in close proximity with troops.

RMIT University and Rheinmetall are developing an advanced machine learning and autonomous systems simulation capability that will be used to train the on-vehicle autonomous systems, can be used for training soldiers in the operation of autonomous systems and for after action analysis and reporting.

Early research is showing great promise and includes the following milestones:

The development of a tracked WIESEL autonomous vehicle;

Establishing visual detection of several off-road terrains including difficult to detect terrains like mud and water;

The ability to detect, track, identify and classify human behaviors using cameras;

The development of a Rheinmetall “iKit” which allows high bandwidth communication between our autonomous vehicle and other systems fitted to the vehicle.

Existing Rheinmetall autonomous systems technology provides a solid foundation for ACW. Over a number of decades, Rheinmetall’s German and Canadian operations have developed proven technology allowing remote control up to full autonomy. Such development is based on a number of research programs into systems including:

A platform agnostic autonomous kit already integrated with a range of vehicle types and increasing in range and size every year;

Upgraded leader/follower and convoy operation modes, driven by developments for the UK’s Remote Patrol Vehicle (RPV)

program and updates to sensors on the Rheinmetall Mission Master vehicles;

Safer tele-operation mode when operating in close proximity to humans;

Rheinmetall-developed vehicle control systems, which have advanced control of engine, transmission, braking and steering controls; and

A German drive-by-wire system, which has been certified for on-road operation in military vehicles in Germany.

In the near future, with customer input to capture evolving needs and requirements, Rheinmetall aims to develop autonomous systems that are specifically designed to meet a range of military requirements, to complement the ongoing upgrade of existing platforms. Some of these concepts are already in our development pipeline, including:

Autonomous vehicle swarming including UGV and UAS teams;

Cyber-attack resilience;

Drone / parent vehicle teaming;

Additional advances in human-machine teaming;

Integration of various payload systems; and

Firefighting systems for civil applications.

As these requirements mature, Rheinmetall Defence Australia will involve an increasing range of our Australian industry, research and academic partners to develop these generation-after-next autonomous systems for tomorrows Australian soldiers.

Rheinmetall

Brought to you by

https://www.rheinmetall-defence.com/en/rheinmetall_defence/index.php



https://twitter.com/rheinmetallaus


W ith over 10 years in business, Precision Technic Defence has vast experience within the

delivery of turnkey capability around the globe. Our company focuses on the delivery of capability to the defence and law enforcement sector, not as a store and forward organisation that does not add value to the products we provide.

The company strives to build strong and professional relations with our customers and partners, through guidance, support, and training throughout the phases of the procurement, implementation and support of any product or system taking into consideration all aspects of the fundamental inputs to capability.

Emerging from a solid foundation of providing EO/IR and sensor-centric solutions, Precision Technic Defence has created a wide range of systems and individual products, each being unique and

MODERNISING COMMAND

AND CONTROL ON THE BATTLEFIELDPrecision Technic Defence is delivering capability on the

battlefield that was thought of as only existing in computer games. Real-time situation awareness, augmented reality, and instant

sensor to shooter information exchanges will shape the future of command and control on the battlefield

with the sole purpose to ensure efficiency, safety, and interoperability.

Precision Technic Defence personnel hold decades of military experience and international deployments.

This, as well as the strong network within global military and law enforcement agencies, including being a member of the Global Special Operations Forces Foundation, ensures that the company can advise industry partners, as well as being a strong partner for any research and development organisation.

With companies situated in Denmark, Germany, France, the UK and Australia, Precision Technic Defence supports partners and programs with a global reach. Although we maintain a global footprint, our solutions and services are tailored to the countries our company supports.

The inclusion of the highest level possible of local content is paramount in the work

PTDefence

Land Special Editionwww.defenceconnect.com.au - 47 -PTDefence is providing dismounted command and control solutions for combat radio, MANET and UAV systems


we do. In Australia, we underpin this local content with staff that have been serving members of the Australian Defence Force, veterans with in depth understanding of the way the ADF conducts its operations in order to ensure we are not pushing solutions that do not fill a sovereign capability gap.

Precision Technic Defence takes a platform approach to delivering solutions by building on a common architecture that allows the addition or removal of equipment, dependant on the mission being conducted.

Through a ‘soldier as a platform’ focus, we have built on the provision of power and data management through a generic architecture to deliver solutions for

dismounted battlefield management and situational awareness to fire teams, combat controllers, joint fires and air controllers.

We provide equipment to further enhance these missions with augmented reality, both day and night, command and control of unmanned vehicles including the use of AI, enhanced situational awareness through full motion video and tactical data links and positions location data in GPS denied areas of operations.

Brought to you by

PROVIDING TACTICAL SOLUTIONS

www.ptdefence.com

[email protected]

PTDefence

PTDefence is delivering Augmented Reality solutions that integrate into our dismounted Battlefield Management System

https://ptdefence.com.au/home


PROVIDING TACTICAL SOLUTIONS

www.ptdefence.com

[email protected]


mailto:info%40ptdefence.com?subject=Defence%20Connect


The MUSS passive system sensors can automatically detect more than eight threats simultaneously and

reacts accordingly, either discounting the threat as a false alarm or dispensing effective countermeasures in the forms of IR jamming or visual/thermal obscuration, or both when selected to do so. MUSS is multi-threat capable of providing protection against a wide range of anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) and shields, and warns, both visually and audibly, against laser-initiated threats from laser range finders (LRF) and laser target designators (LTD). The MUSS can be designed into the platform’s layered protection as with the SPz PUMA infantry fighting vehicle and fully integrated into the platform’s BMIS or it can be fitted as an applique system with a separate operator controller as demonstrated

MULTIFUNCTIONAL SELF PROTECTION SYSTEM [MUSS]

“PLATFORM READY”The HENSOLDT MUSS with the lowest advertised SWaP of any Active Protection System (all up weight of 170 kilograms) is truly “Platform Ready” for fitting to the range of wheeled and tracked

Armoured Fighting Vehicles in service today

successfully when fitted to the Challenger 2 main battle tank during the UK MEDUSA Project.

Primarily a defence against the ATGM, the MUSS Missile Warner will detect incoming missile threats by the irradiant plume on launch or from the rocket motor during its flight. Once detected, the MUSS jammer decoys the missile. This is done at a great distance from the platform and as a consequence there is no collateral damage in the local vicinity. The IR jammer is an infinite/repeatable countermeasure. If a laser-initiated threat is detected by the laser warner then directionally deployed obscuration smoke will instantaneously hide the AFV in both thermal and visual view from missile operators and gunners while at the same time providing a decoy heat source on the ground. The fixed high angle of the grenade launchers

HENSOLDT


and operating distance of the grenades provides a safe operating area around the platform for dismounts. The overall system safety of MUSS is aligning with STANAG 4754.

As a potent and technically mature in-service system, the MUSS is already starting to evolve to meet our customer’s requirement for an enhanced MUSS APS capability to meet emerging challenges. MUSS has a well-defined technology road map, including an advanced laser warner, further reduction of SWaP and an increased threat library, which looks to fill those challenges. MUSS sensor inputs will be used to provide more situational awareness not only to the host platform but also deliver this as part of wider platform interoperability potentially autonomously. On the platform itself it is envisaged that through wider integration

with next-generation systems, such the HENSOLDT SETAS (See, Through, Armour, System), there is possibility of a situational awareness-specific layer in the platform’s protection.

SETAS The new generation situational awareness system is suitable for all kinds of vehicles, wheeled and tracked, as an upgrade solution or for newly built vehicles. The system offers human target recognition up to 300 metres by extreme high resolution daylight sensors and a detection capability of similar range using un-cooled IR cameras.

SETAS provides continuous 360-degree automatic observation for up to eight independent crew members. With up to 78 degrees of vertical FOV the cameras pods are installed around the vehicle

More than 350 MUSS are in service today with the German Army: SPz PUMA equipped armoured. ©PSM GmbH


to avoid blind spots and generate optimised situation awareness (as close as three metres from the vehicle’s edge). A fully integrated HMI allows display of the images on HMD, AR-goggle or mobile display – defined on customer’s requirement.

Additional sensors like missile and laser warner such as MUSS, but also acoustic shot detectors, can be implemented into the SETAS configuration. The open system’s architecture complies with NGVA and allows easy video integration of different optronic sensors (e.g. EOTS and driver sights) within the existing battle management system on unique operator display. Video feed can then be share on the common platform to other vehicles in the combat group.

Several integrations onto different vehicles and field tests, i.e. in the UK, Finland, Switzerland, showed outstanding performance results and that the MUSS is a “game-changer” capability for the crew.

About HENSOLDT HENSOLDT is a pioneer of technology and innovation in the area of defence and security electronics. The company, headquartered in Germany, is a leading European provider in the field of sensor solutions for defence and non-defence applications. HENSOLDT Australia Pty Ltd is a product solution and services provider in the region, and part of the Hensoldt Group of Companies. HENSOLDT Australia is geared to provide through-life support of our wide range of products for all our valued regional customers. It is headquartered in Canberra with a long-standing relationship with DSTG and an established fleet including large number of self-protection solutions on various in-service airborne platforms.

Brought to you by

HENSOLDT

See Through Armour System (SETAS) - gives armored vehicle crews full situational awareness


Wiesel Armoured Weapons Carrier

legacy.com.au

Supporting our veterans’ families since 1923.The Legacy Promise was born in the trenches of World War One, to look after the families left behind.Now, more than ever, Legacy needs your help to keep that promise.

https://www.legacy.com.au/


The fabric of the Australian Defence Force is literally changing, and is going to continue to do so over the

next decades, likely in ways that are hard for most to even comprehend. To understand more, Defence Connect spoke with Graeme Bulte, the founder and managing director of advanced product supplier Aquaterro.

Aquaterro is a 100 per cent Australian-owned company that provides professional clothing and personal protective equipment solutions, as well as a range of small arms and close combat weapons and accompanying supplies for both the Australian Defence Force and Australian law enforcement agencies. In a sentence, Bulte describes the services performed by Aquaterro: “If you’re wearing it, or carrying it, and going into harm’s way; then that’s what we do.”

Bulte adds: “It’s a great challenge and honour to provide the best capability to those men and women on the ground and in harm’s way, and to be able to help them do their job, and come home safe.”

Over the last nearly three decades, Aquaterro

UNABRIDGED INTEGRATION

THE AUSTRALIAN SOLDIER OF THE FUTUREThrough Defence programs like LAND 125 and LAND 159, the fabric of the Australian Defence Force is changing before our

very eyes. Hannah Dowling investigates further

has worked closely both with the ADF and with the best-in-business overseas defence partners - including US firearms manufacturer SIG SAUER, battlefield systems manufacturer Tyr Tactical and eyewear specialists Oakley, among others - in order to ensure that it is providing the Australian defence sector with the best technological solutions the world has to offer.

“While there are cases of Australian-designed and made solutions that actually are the best in the world, it’s not surprising that we don’t create the best in the world of everything,” Bulte says. “Compared to other world powers, we have a smaller country, a smaller military, a smaller budget, and so on. Yet, we must participate at the highest level of technology and capability overmatch in combat operations.”

With this in mind, Bulte stresses the importance of collaborating with overseas counterparts, in order to ensure that Australia is providing its defence force with the epitome of world-class equipment and weapons, both now and into the future.

Feature


The rise of Australian sovereign industrial capability has been a transformative force within Australia’s defence industry space over the last decade, and more so than ever apparent during the last number of years. The advent of COVID-19, and the effects this has had on looking at self-sufficiency of Australian industry, will reverberate throughout Defence and wider Australian industry capabilities for years to come. The challenge of how to access the best equipment and technology, and keep up with rapid change, is particularly important to Australia’s military capability in the modern geo-political and geostrategic environment.

How to have our cake and eat it tooBulte emphasises how Aquaterro and the defence industry vies to “have it’s cake” - that is, utilise the best equipment and technology the world has to offer, “and eat it too” - ensuring maximum Australian industrial participation, as well as capability enhancement and growth.

Bulte explains, “For us, what we’ve been trying to do is look for the absolute best

technologies in the world, understand them and be able to deliver them, and make that available to Australia’s defence personnel, law enforcement personnel, and professionals in harm’s way.

Then we look at if and where it makes sense to participate in the manufacturing, design, development and improvement of those products within Australia. We’re better off working together with our allies than trying to recreate everything, or reinvent the wheel for ourselves over and over and over. That doesn’t make any sense.”

Through his partnerships, Bulte works tirelessly to ensure that, when possible, Australia can take this “cutting-edge” technology and solutions from overseas, and bring it back onshore. “The ability to actually manufacture or assemble and support that product, in part, or in whole in Australia is something that is hugely beneficial, and also something that our partners are extraordinarily supportive of,” he says.

Aquaterro has invested millions over recent years in building facilities and

Soldier is Wearing/Carrying/Equipped with:

S&S Precision MANTA Strobe Team Wendy EXFIL (TCH) Ballistic Combat Helmet Peacemaker Helmet Cover TCI Liberator V Communication & ANR Combat Hearing Protection Oakley M-Frame Alpha ballistic and laser protection eyewear SIG SAUER MCX in Combat Rifle 5.56 configuration SIG Romeo4T Red Dot Optic SIG Juliet4 Magnifier SureFire M600 Scout Light Wilcox RAID-X Laser Aiming & Illumination Device Arc’teryx AR Combat Shirt Arc’teryx FR Balaclava Oakley Factory Pilot Operator Glove TYR Tactical Aussie-PICO Combat Body Armour System


acquiring manufacturing technology to support this effort. With a brand new, high security facility of nearly 5,000 square metres, a textile design and manufacturing centre, a rapid prototyping centre, 3D printing in carbon fibre and CNC advanced manufacturing, Aquaterro is blurring the boundaries between import-distribution and sovereign industrial capability, to create a powerful hybrid.

Preparing for the future: LAND 159 and LAND 125Bulte highlights two current Defence programs that Aquaterro is vying to take part in, which are set to change and define the future of Australian defence - LAND 159 and LAND 125. The Lethality System Project, or LAND 159, and the Integrated Soldier System Project, or LAND 125 Phase 4, are two programs that aim to future-proof all of the ADF’s human-platform capabilities, including; weapon systems, surveillance systems, field equipment, personal protective gear, as well as training and facilities. Bulte says the combination of the two programs are set to “completely change the way that Australian Defence Force personnel look, work and operate for the next 20 years”.

Aquaterro was awarded a contract under LAND 125 Phase 3B, to provide the ADF with new tiered ballistic combat helmets at the end of 2016, under which over 40,000 have now been delivered to ADF personnel across Navy, Army and Air Force.

Bulte explains, “Those helmets have been received extraordinarily well, and the project itself is immensely successful. We’re ahead of budget, we’re ahead of schedule. It’s an incredible piece of safety and personal soldier equipment, that’s been better received than any other piece of individual equipment in recent memory. They can just

put the helmet on, go ‘this is great’, and go to work. And that’s what we aim for”.

Bulte notes that Commonwealth has officially extended Aquaterro’s contract under LAND 125 Phase 3B for an additional two years, following the extraordinary success of the program.

The future is now: wholly integrated systems and technologyWhen asked about the future of warfighter personal protection equipment and weaponry, Bulte stresses the significance of “integrated systems and technology”. In essence, Aquaterro, and a range of other providers in the defence ecosystem, have been working for decades to provide top-of-the-line technology solutions that see the everyday systems that Defence personnel rely upon, work together in an inextricable network of constant interaction, integration, and communication.

“Back in the ’90s, we were working with the ADF to put flotation, hypothermia protective and fire-retardant garment systems onto personnel who are in the back of the helicopter on a gun,” he explains. “We could see early on that the ADF needed its systems” - be that clothing, personal protective measures, or equipment - “to go together; it has to have the capability to work and integrate together.”

“And that was back in the 1990s,” he adds. “So, when you fast forward to the 2020s, the technical integration of equipment and smart technology that’s involved is orders-of-magnitude more advanced. We’re talking about a whole networked environment on the soldier, on the warfighter.”

Bulte describes an intricate system of extensive integration, which encompasses essentially every atom that touches Defence personnel - be that clothing, equipment, or weapons. Each system works in tandem,

Feature

http://www.aquaterro.com/


and is in a state of constant communication with each and every section, of every system, that sits on or near the body of the warfighter - in a manner that almost seems straight out of a science fiction film. Every soldier now carries an entire network of information, that is in a constant state of upload and download, and that sits atop their person at all times. To give an example of how these systems work and connect together, Bulte describes the integrated nature of Aquaterro’s advanced combat ballistic helmet, which, as above, has been welcomed by the ADF under its ongoing future-proofing program, LAND 125.

“That helmet is not only a ballistic protective helmet. It’s a platform that’s holding the NFE Mounting system, that is holding the night fighting equipment goggles. Those night fighting equipment goggles are not only a source of data, which is collecting information, seeing what the soldier can see, but it’s also an area where information can be provided to the soldier.”

Through their goggles, the soldier can experience a range of “augmented reality” and HUD options, which can be “piped in” from commanders or other personnel on the battlefield, in addition to i2 and thermal images, or fusion, that can assist their situational awareness. All of this information is of course being transmitted and stored, available to command and to colleagues. But that’s not all.

“Now that soldier can see, in their field of view, where all their colleagues are out there in the battlefield. They can see our drone flying overhead. They are getting information about their own environment - weather, temperature - and on their own health and they’re continuously getting communications back through from the command centre,” Bulte says.

“They’re also piping that information - everything they can see - back through their

night vision goggles through the smart helmet mounting system back across to the smart battery system which is linked down to their radio, which is sending an encrypted uplink back on through to command about the soldier, the environment and everything else.

“Now that whole system is all linked to a power scavenger system, which is powering the night vision goggles and powering the radio, it’s encrypting and dealing with the data.”

On top of all the incredible and intricate systems constrained in that one helmet, Bulte adds that “this all has to be integrated into the body armour in such a way so that it’s not creating a mobility issue for the soldier. It has to be light, it has to be adaptable, it has to work”. Ultimately, what looks like your standard military helmet, is “far from just a helmet”.

But today’s smart integration technology stretches far beyond just helmets. “All

Feature


the equipment that they’re carrying, the rifle that they’re carrying, everything has this smart technology on it, which is all individually participating in this data sharing,” Bulte says.

“Then we have the weapon. The weapon itself is now also a high technology device. It’s mission-adaptable and modular. It’s gathering information. It’s ranging a target. It’s actually providing the GPS location of the target; you can now see from a kilometre away. And it’s providing that location GPS data back through to command.”

According to Bulte, today’s integration capacity could just be the tip of the iceberg of what is truly possible: “These capabilities sound futuristic, like science fiction, but really, today, we can put that system together right now, in fact, that system could have been put together last year, or the year before or the year before that.”

He also emphasises that in the future, Australia will continue to work with its

allies overseas and continue to develop its wholly integrated systems and networks, and exponentially grow its capabilities on and off the battlefield.

“We have to. We have to be more capable, and more dangerous, than the people or the potential adversary who might decide to threaten us. And we can’t do that with force of numbers, we have to do it with our people, with our training, with our equipment, all of the highest quality, all of which is then supported further by the technology and the equipment,” Bulte says.

“We in Australia have to establish ourselves as a truly integral part of the industrial capability framework with our allies, and our battlefield interoperability must be supported by sovereign industrial interoperability. We can no longer either be either completely globalist or completely isolationist with technology and capability.”

With some of the brightest minds and smartest companies in the world working together, only time will tell what our future soldiers will be able to achieve with the integrated technology systems of tomorrow.

Left and Right Soldier is Wearing/Carrying/Equipped with: S&S Precision MANTA Strobe Team Wendy EXFIL (TCH) Ballistic Combat Helmet Peacemaker Helmet Cover TCI Liberator V Communication & ANR Combat Hearing Protection Oakley M-Frame Alpha ballistic and laser protection eyewear SIG SAUER MCX in Combat Rifle 5.56 configuration SIG Romeo4T Red Dot Optic SIG Juliet4 Magnifier SureFire M600 Scout Light Wilcox RAID-X Laser Aiming & Illumination Device Arc’teryx AR Combat Shirt Arc’teryx FR Balaclava Oakley Factory Pilot Operator Glove TYR Tactical Aussie-PICO Combat Body Armour System

Left Soldier SIG SAUER P320X-Carry Modular Handgun SureFire XVL2 Compact Light-Laser Pistol Module Wilcox G24-L Lightweight NVG Mount SureFire M300 Scout Light, Mounted on S&S Precision MAX-Mount ESS Suppressor Ballistic Eyewear Safariland 7TS ALS Sidearm Holster TYR Tactical Huron Hot Weather Combat Uniform

Right Soldier THEON NYX Binocular Night Vision Goggles Wilcox G24 Standard NVG Mount Peacemaker Equipment Pouches SureFire SRD07 Dual Light-Laser+ATPIAL System Tape Switch


Helmet and Targeting SystemXTEK’s helmet, protecting against AK-47 rounds at muzzle velocity, is now being launched in the US after extensive testing by customers and end users. XTEK’s XTatlas real-time situational awareness system, processing video and other sensor data from inexpensive remotely controlled UAV and UGV sensors, enables slew to cue of weapon systems to a target and enhances situational awareness to shorten the kill chain using inexpensive assets.

HelmetXTEK has developed a revolutionary process to produce ballistic products

like hard armour plates and helmets with superior characteristics to traditional manufacturing processes, such as axial pressing. It uses a very high-pressure

XTEK WORLD BEST SOVEREIGN CAPABILITY

FOR THE SOLDIERXTEK (ASX:XTE) has been developing new products

in Australia to enhance soldier capability and safety which represents best of breed worldwide

isostatic technology, XTclave, which applies uniform pressure leading to uniform ballistic performance.

For a helmet, getting the same ballistic performance on the top and the sides of a semi spherical part is unique. XTEK has designed a rifle helmet, stopping AK-47 rounds at muzzle velocity using a helmet shell weighing 1,200 grams. Competitors provide such a stop, at a 200-metre standoff, at which distance an AK-47 is not precise enough to be a real threat.

This performance is very sought after by most defence forces in the Western world. Extensive tests done by the US Department of Defense have confirmed the performance. Further tests have been successfully completed in Australia.

XTEK brings ‘a world best helmet’, made in Australia, to the Australian Defence

XTEK


Force, which is not presently buying helmets on shore. XTEK has received two Sovereign Industry Capability Grants from CDIC to invest in its factory in Adelaide and to make large quantities of helmets in Australia.

Manufacturing facility - Adelaide

XTEK has invested significant funds in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located in Adelaide.

The facility was officially opened by XTEK managing director, Philippe Odouard; David Ridgway, Minister for Trade and Investment, South Australia; and XTEK chairman Uwe Boettcher in February 2020. The new facility will enable the level of production of armour plates and helmets to be taken to a capacity of around $40 million a year.

Some additional equipment has also recently been purchased to significantly increase helmet production over the next few months.

HighCom Armor Solutions Inc – US Acquisition & Factory FacilityIn September 2019, XTEK acquired HighCom Armor Solutions Inc based in Columbus, Ohio. HighCom is a leading manufacturer and distributor of armour products, mainly in North America, and has a substantial distribution network in the law enforcement area.

The synergies with XTEK technology allows the distribution of XTEK helmets and other armour products very quickly into the world’s biggest market, the US, as law enforcement has a large appetite for products in this space and insists on very fast turnaround times.

Managing director Philippe Odouard (left) and chairman Uwe Boettcher at the ready


A new XTclave machine will be installed in the factory facility in the US, allowing XTEK/HighCom to manufacture this technology in the US and therefore bid for military contracts that impose a US manufacture requirement.

Targeting systemXTEK has developed an application, XTatlas, which takes the video stream of

small unmanned aerial vehicles and processes it using photogrammetry algorithms to provide near real-time accurate 2D maps and 3D models.

Comparison tools allow a user to superimpose the new map over map/videos stored in a database and analyse the differences.

The system provides target tracking to register objects with precise co-ordinates and to pass the track to a weapon system for prosecution.

XTEK has also designed and commercialises an array of chemical and radiation sensors packaged as SARBI (Sensor and Radiation Broadband Interface) that, through XTatlas, positions the results accurately on a 3D map together with the concentration of each substance as a heat map in real time.

XTatlas has been sold to military forces for use with UAVs. It is being integrated into vehicles and larger systems, contributing to enhanced situational awareness and shortening the kill chain.

Brought to you by

XTEK

Click to watch XTEK’s XTatlas in action

Homegrown: XTEK opened its new Adelaide manufacturing facility earlier in the year

https://xtek.net/

https://xtek.net/technology

https://www.xtek.net/technology

XTEK World Best Sovereign Capability for The Soldier.

Helmet and Targeting System

XTEK (ASX:XTE) has been developing new products in Australia to enhance soldier capability and safety which represents best of breed worldwide.

XTEK helmet, protecting against AK47 rounds at muzzle velocity, is now being launched in the US after extensive testing by customers and end users.

XTatlasTM is a real time situational awareness system, processing video and other sensor data from inexpensive remotely controlled UAV and UGV sensors. It enables slew to cue of weapon systems to a target and enhances situational awareness to shorten the kill chain using inexpensive assets.

Link to XTatlas: https://www.xtek.net/technology

For more information visit the XTEK website: www.xtek.net

Contact Us

P: +61 (0) 2 6163 5588

F: +61 (0) 2 6280 6518

E: [email protected]

https://xtek.net/

mailto:xtek%40xtek.net?subject=Defence%20Connect

https://www.xtek.net/technology

DISCLAIMER: Defence Connect is published by Momentum Media (ABN 92126853085). All rights reserved. Reproduction in full or part is not permitted without the express permission of the publisher. The views expressed in Defence Connect are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. No responsibility is accepted by Momentum Media for the accuracy of any statement, opinion or advice contained in text or advertisements, and to the full extent allowed by law, the publisher excludes liability for any loss or damage sustained by readers arising from, or in conjunction with, the supply or use of information in this publication through any cause.

Credits

EDITORIAL Analyst and editor: Steve Kuper

Journalist: Hannah Dowling

Contributors: The Hon Melissa Price Lieutenant General Rick Burr

Production manager: Lyndsey Fall

Senior production editor: Keith Ford

SALES Senior partnerships manager: Joe Vince

Media strategist: Andrew Scott

CREATIVE Senior designers: Daniel Berrell Allisha Middleton-Sim Jack Townsend

Designer: Sheriel Paez

Broadcast media manager: Todd Stevens

OFFICE Accounts: Chris Brace

Media coordinator: Anthony Lee

Marketing coordinator: Demii Kalavritinos

Head of event production: Jennifer Hardy

Deputy head of content: Emma Ryan

Director, commercial growth: Russell Stephenson

Director: Alex Whitlock

ENQUIRIES Advertising enquiries: [email protected]

[email protected]

Editorial enquiries: [email protected]

CONTACT Level 13, 132 Arthur St, North Sydney, NSW, 2060 Phone: 02 9922 3300

https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/podcast

Wiesel Armoured Weapons Carrier

legacy.com.au

Keeping the Promise.Since 1923, Legacy has provided caring and compassionate support for the families of Australian Defence Force men and women who have lost their life or given their health.

https://www.legacy.com.au/

Documents

Chief of Army expands on force evolution - Defence Connect