Armée Australienne/Australian Defence Force (ADF)

Citation :

L’Australie suspend sa participation aux opérations aériennes de la coalition au-dessus de la Syrie

Posté dans Forces aériennes, Moyen-Orient, Opérations par Laurent Lagneau Le 20-06-2017



Après qu’un F/A-18E américain a abattu un avion d’attaque syrien Su-22 Fitter qui venait de bombarder les Forces démocratiques syriennes près de Tabqa, localité que ces dernières ont récemment prise à l’État islamique (EI ou Daesh), le ministère russe de la Défense a réagi coupant le canal de communication établi avec la coalition anti-jihadiste dirigé par les États-Unis pour éviter les incidents aériens au-dessus de la Syrie et prévenu que les « avions et les drones » occidentaux « repérés à l’ouest de l’Euphrate seront suivis et considérés comme des cibles par les moyens terrestres de défense antiaérienne et par les moyens aériens. »

Au États-Unis, estimant que ce canal de communication avec les forces russes en Syrie « a très bien fonctionné sur les huit derniers mois », le général Joseph Dunford, chef d’état-major interarmées, a affirmé vouloir le rétablir au plus vite. Pour cela, a-t-il dit, « nous allons travailler dans les prochaines heures sur le plan diplomatique et militaire. »

En attendant, le Pentagone a précisé que les opérations aériennes ont été « adaptées » en Syrie. « Nous avons par mesure de précaution repositionné nos avions au-dessus du territoire syrien, pour pouvoir continuer de frapper les forces du groupe État islamique, tout en assurant la sécurité de nos équipages », a déclaré le major Adrian Rankine-Galloway, un porte-parole.

« Nous voulons parvenir à une désescalade de la situation » mais « nous garderons toujours notre droit à l’autodéfense », a, pour sa part, commenter Sean Speacer, le porte-parole de la Maison Blanche.

Mais l’annonce russe a visiblement conduit l’Australie à revoir son engagement au sein de la coalition. « Par mesure de précaution, les opérations de frappes des forces de défense australiennes (ADF) en Syrie ont temporairement cessé », a en effet annoncé une porte-parole du ministère australien de la Défense, dans un communiqué.

« Les personnels des ADF suivent de près la situation aérienne en Syrie et une décision sur une reprise des opérations aériennes des ADF en Syrie sera prise en temps voulu », a-t-elle ajouté, avant de préciser que les opérations australiennes en Irak ne sont pas concernées par cette décision.

Actuellement, la Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) déploie, dans le cadre de l’opération Orka (nom de la participation australienne à la coalition), 6 F/A-18F Super Hornet, un avion d’alerte avancée E-7A Wedgetail (c’est à dire un B-737 AEW&C) et un ravitailleur KC-30A (ou A330 MRTT).

http://www.opex360.com/2017/06/20/lautralie-suspend-sa-participation-aux-operations-aeriennes-de-la-coalition-au-dessus-de-la-syrie/

| An #AusAirForce C-17A Globemaster transported two BK117 helicopters to Antarctica, on behalf of the Australian Antarctic Division during Operation Southern Discovery.#AusAirForce #YourADF pic.twitter.com/NrywRg1Kyr

— Royal Australian Air Force (@AusAirForce) December 7, 2023

Citation :

DEC 12

Austria orders Rheinmetall Skyguard Next Generation air defence system for €532 million


The Austrian Defence Ministry has contracted with Rheinmetall to carry out a comprehensive modernization of its existing Skyguard air defence
systems. In the presence of Austrian Minister of Defence Klaudia Tanner, the two parties have now signed the contract for Project Skyguard Next
Generation in Vienna. For Rheinmetall, the order represents sales of €532 million (without VAT), which can already be booked as an incoming
order in December 2023. The contract encompasses a project period of 48 months starting in February 2024.




Skyguard Next Generation belongs to the Skynex family of products from Rheinmetall Air Defence (Picture source: Rheinmetall)


https://worlddefencenews.blogspot.com/2023/12/austria-orders-rheinmetall-skyguard.html  

Citation :

 DEC 20

US approves transfer of 3 Virginia class submarines to Australia


On December 13, 2023, the U.S. Senate took a significant step by adopting the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the fiscal year 2024.
This act, with a budget of $874.2 billion, marks a key milestone in the implementation of the AUKUS agreement between the United States,
the United Kingdom, and Australia. The centerpiece of this legislation is the authorization of the transfer of three Virginia-class attack submarines
to Australia, planned for the 2030s.



The Virginia-class attack submarine Pre-Commissioning Unit Mississippi (SSN 782) conducts alpha trials in the Atlantic Ocean. (Picture source:
US DoD)


https://worlddefencenews.blogspot.com/2023/12/us-approves-transfer-of-3-virginia.html  

L'Australie dans l'impasse industrielle pour ses sous-marins à propulsion nucléaire ?

La presse australienne s'inquiète du coût énorme (350 milliards) que représente le partenariat avec les États-Unis & UK.

La France proposait 56 milliards pour 12 sous-marins, tant pis.‍� pic.twitter.com/ezDlD6lOUQ

— Louis Duclos (@ObsDelphi) January 8, 2024

Citation :

  LAST UPDATED: 07 FEBRUARY 2024



Australia to lease former UK Airbus H135s

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has made an announcement that they will lease five Airbus Helicopters EC135T3 (H135) twin-engine light utility helicopters from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) for a period of five years.

The ADF already uses fifteen EC135T2+ helicopters for its joint Army/Navy aircrew training. These machines are operated by 723 Squadron of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) at HMAS Albatross (Nowra, NSW).

The leased helicopters however will be based at Oakey Army Aviation Center in Queensland. Besides a training role for Army aviation aircrews, they will also be used for light transport duties for the ADF. It is estimated that they will commence operations mid 2024.

As the joint Army/Navy training unit was only established in 2018, initialising a separate training unit for the Army seems like a (partial?) change in politics with regard to rotary training. A shift in politics is not new for Australian Defence initial helicopter training activities. In the nineties a similar Army/Navy joint training was set up at Fairbairns (Canberra), but was dissolved again in 1998 in favour of service-specific training organisations.

The five H135s were originally ordered by the UK MoD in 2022 to replace British Army Aerospatiale Gazelle helicopters in Northern Ireland. However, in January 2023 they were taken to Shawbury for storage even before becoming operational. As it appears, the security situation in the region improved, making the helicopters obsolete.

According to the Scramble database the following H135s are involved: G-CMIR (c/n 2175), G-CMIS (c/n 2179), G-CMIT (c/n 2181), G-CMIU (c/n 2184) and G-CMIV (c/n 2188)

Credit photo: Graeme Lovell (via Flickr)


https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/australia-to-lease-former-uk-airbus-h135s

Watch ️ as #AusArmy’s new generation of tank Commanders explain why they love the M1 Abrams during Exercise #GauntletStrike. pic.twitter.com/cqpk8lhiI3

— Australian Army (@AustralianArmy) February 7, 2024

Citation :

 LAST UPDATED: 06 MARCH 2024



RAAF to replace current B737 BBJs

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is poised to replace its two Boeing 737-700 (BBJ) aircraft with two Boeing 737-8 (BBJ) models.

The current fleet, operated by 34 Squadron Eo et Redeo (I Go and I Return) based in Canberra (ACT), was leased in 2002 for a 22-year period. According to the Australian Ministry of Defence, the aircraft have failed to meet scheduled annual flight hours due to maintenance and associated readiness issues.

In December 2021, the former government approved the acquisition of two new aircraft. Subsequently, in February 2022, the National Australia Bank (NAB) was awarded an AUD 372 million contract (excluding sustainment) to supply the Commonwealth with two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft through 2036.

The replacement of the Boeing 737s (A36-001 and A36-002) marks the culmination of a comprehensive recapitalization of the Special Purpose Aircraft (SPA) fleet this year, with the new aircraft set for delivery to 34 Squadron. This replacement signifies the complete renewal of the entire fleet, following the replacement of the three Challenger CL-604s with an equal number of Dassault Falcon 7Xs in 2019.

The new Boeing 737-8 models will be registered as A62-001 and A62-002. The first one, MSN 67959/8532 (formerly N786BJ), was spotted in Basel (Switzerland) on March 1, 2024. The second aircraft, formerly registered as N787BJ, has MSN 67960/8610.

Credit photo: Hans van Herk

https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/raaf-to-replace-current-b737-bbjs

Citation :

Ghost Shark Debuts in Australia

4/17/2024

First Ghost Shark Debuts in Australia - Ahead of Schedule & On Budget
Anduril, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) and Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) are pleased to unveil the first Ghost Shark manufactured prototype and announce that the Ghost Shark program is ahead of schedule and on budget. As Anduril moves to deliver an operationally relevant capability within a fraction of traditional defence timelines, early creation and testing of the first Ghost Shark has been critical for rapid learning and iteration.

It’s a momentous advancement in the $140M co-development contract between RAN, DSTG and Anduril to design and develop the three ‘Ghost Shark’ extra-large autonomous undersea vehicles (XL-AUV) in three years in Australia.

Ghost Shark is a modular, multi-purpose capability that can flexibly respond to the Australian Defence Force’s mission requirements, creating an agile force multiplier for Defence.

David Goodrich OAM, Executive Chairman and CEO Anduril Australia said: “The timeline we set to design and produce three Ghost Sharks in three years in Australia, by Australians for the ADF, was extremely ambitious. I am excited to report that we are ahead of schedule and, importantly for a Defence program, we are on budget.

“We're moving incredibly quickly on this program in lockstep with our ASCA, DSTG and the RAN partners. The strategic leadership and innovation insights provided by Prof Tanya Monro, Prof Emily Hilder and Vice Admiral Mark Hammond are key to our success,” said Mr Goodrich.

Dr Shane Arnott, Senior Vice President Engineering, Anduril Industries said: “Moving at the speed of relevance is Anduril's signature. For Ghost Shark, we have assembled a unique high-powered engineering team of 121 people from the best-of-Australia, across tech, resources and defence, to fuel this progress.

“We have 42 Australian companies currently working on Ghost Shark, which is being designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia. We plan to manufacture at scale in Australia for the Royal Australian Navy, and then for export to our allies and partners around the world.

“Using novel scaled agile development techniques, we are combining both tech and defence sector development practices - and it’s paying big dividends. Ghost Shark is a program that we as Australians can be very proud of,” said Dr Arnott.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy:

“Ghost Shark is an exemplar of how Defence and Australian industry can move at speed to develop new sovereign capabilities to respond to the challenges before us.

“By transitioning Ghost Shark to ASCA, a clear statement is being made about Defence’s commitment to the program.

“ASCA is focussed on speeding up the transition of innovation into capability that will give our Australian Defence Force an edge, while creating more jobs for Australians commercialising the technology.”

Quotes attributable to Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond:

“This collaboration combines Navy’s expertise, ASCA’s speed to delivery, Defence’s scientific smarts and Anduril Australia’s experience in agile innovation.

“We are a nation girt by sea, and the Ghost Shark is one of the tools we are developing for the Navy to patrol and protect our oceans and our connection to the world.”

Quotes attributable to Chief Defence Scientist Prof Tanya Monro AC

Delivering the first Ghost Shark prototype ahead of schedule sets a new standard for capability development at the speed of need. Ghost Shark is already well ahead of its three-year development schedule.

The Ghost Shark program is delivering an operationally relevant capability within a fraction of traditional defence timelines. Early creation and testing of the first Ghost Shark has been critical for rapid learning and iteration – this is how we deliver advanced asymmetric capability.

DSTG is contributing its own pathfinding technologies into the Ghost Shark’s powerful capability, as well as design and development expertise for key systems and payloads.

Quotes attributable to Head of the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), Prof Emily Hilder

Ghost Shark is a real living exemplar of the approach we are taking within ASCA to deliver advanced asymmetric capabilities that have a two-to-three-year development horizon.

We have created an incredibly integrated team for Ghost Shark with DSTG and ASCA team members working alongside with Navy and Anduril – each of us bringing our unique expertise and experience what is ASCA Mission Zero. The only way we’ll succeed at pace is if we do this together.


https://www.anduril.com/article/first-ghost-shark-debuts-in-australia/