Australia's military innovation to be driven by Tasmanian maritime college

Tasmania will be the home of a new training centre for highly qualified Navy engineers, as Australia embarks on a multi-billion dollar naval shipbuilding program.

 

The Training Centre for Transforming Australia's Naval Manufacturing Industry will be based at the University of Tasmania's Australian Maritime College in Launceston.

 

It will partner with the University of Wollongong and Flinders University to train 10 PhD students and 3 postdoctoral fellows to drive the research and development required by the Defence Force.

The project's lead investigator Jon Binns says the Research Training Centre will focus on naval design and manufacturing.

 

"We have focus somewhat around the future submarines, future frigates and patrol boat programs but this is transferable technology that they'll be developing," he said.

 

"For example in the sustainment area we're looking at trying to integrate how you monitor navy boats and integrate that back into the design so that we should be able to get boats that perform better and longer."

 

Australian Maritime College Principal, Professor Neil Bose, says the project will have far-reaching outcomes.

 

"It includes the training and career advancement of highly qualified engineers needed to support the design and manufacture of the SEA1000 future submarines, whose [sic.] construction alone will be Australia's largest engineering project," he said.

 

Peter Rathjen from UTAS says the engineering and research students will work on year-long projects, which will be developed in partnership with industry and defence.

 

"The crux of this scheme is that our students will get the opportunity to get industry placements and that that will help them to develop more relevant skills," he said.

 

Bass MP Andrew Nikolic says the funding for the $3.8 million naval centre has come from the Australian Research Council and industry groups.

 

"Some of the biggest projects in the defence force over the next 20 to 30 years will be maritime projects," he said.

 

Brian Yates from the Australian Research Council hopes the new centre will lead to more innovation in the defence force.

 

"The people that will be trained through this centre will have that high level of skills that will help that industry be competitive both nationally and internationally," he said.

Students start their work at the centre in December.

‘Fast-track frigates to save jobs’

A PLAN to save Australia’s ship building industry by bringing forward construction of eight potent new frigates for the Royal Australian Navy is being considered by the Abbott government. 

              

This option to bridge the so-called “valley of death” for shipbuilding would mean constructing sections of some of the new frigates when the hulls of the three air warfare destroyers (AWDs) are completed. That would mean the 7000-tonne frigates would use the same hulls as the destroyers so that they could be built with the existing equipment and the same workforce.

 

The sections, or “blocks” can be built in different shipyards and then welded together.

 

This option will be discussed in a speech to be made by Defence Minister David Johnston to key defence industry figures in Canberra today.

 

The valley of death is the tag given to the point when current defence contracts run out with the completion of the AWDs and two giant landing ships. Companies say they will have to sack thousands of skilled workers unless more ships are ordered.

 

That follow’s last night’s warning by Royal Australian Air Force chief Geoff Brown that the world was entering a period of political and economic instability “which will shape a potentially volatile and dangerous security environment, especially in our region”.

 

“Of particular concern to Australia is the rising tension in the South China Sea where our vital interests are directly engaged,” Air Marshal Brown told The Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

 

He said air power was the most agile and responsive military instrument available to government.

The use of air power by the US to save refugees trapped on Iraq’s Mount Sinjar had demonstrated how decisive it could be.

 

Senator Johnston will tell the industry representatives today the AWD project is running 21 months late and more than $360 million over budget.

 

He stresses the option of building the frigates in Australia ­depends on the shipbuilding industry demonstrating that it can complete the destroyers without further cost overruns or delays.

 

“This is to ensure everything is in place to allow a continued naval shipbuilding industry in Australia,” he will tell the Australian Business Defence Industry Group.

 

“All we are asking is that industry demonstrates it can meet an acceptable benchmark for cost and productivity.

 

“Part of the work on the future frigate program is to examine whether we can commit to the construction of some early blocks to ensure there is no break in production overall.”

 

Senator Johnston says no decision has been made on the design of the navy’s new submarines but work is progressing well on ­options. The government has ­already provided $78m for preliminary work on the new frigates.

 

The new class was set out in the Rudd government’s 2009 defence white paper which intended they’d be operational by the mid-2020s.

 

The ships were to carry cruise missiles and they were likely to be equipped with a system able to ­destroy ballistic missiles.

 

Co-operation on such a system was announced in Sydney last week at the annual AUSMIN talks between Australia’s foreign affairs and defence ministers and their US counterparts.

China Declares Australia a Military Threat Over U.S. Pact

China’s state-run media have declared Australia a threat to its national security, after Australia finalized a 25-year military pact with the United States.

 

The United States currently has 1,200 troops from the Marine Corps and Air Force training with Australian troops for humanitarian and disaster relief. The defense agreement will increase the number of U.S. troops at Darwin in northern Australia to 2,500.

 

The Chinese regime is none too pleased about the agreement, however.

 

Li Jie, rear admiral of China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, told Want China Times that Australia could pressure China’s supply lines in the Strait of Malacca in a conflict over the South China Sea.

“Australia is therefore likely to become a threat to China’s national security,” it states.

Global Times reported that if a war broke out between China and Vietnam or the Philippines, the United States could deploy submarines and aircraft from Australia.

 

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced the U.S.-Australia Force Posture Agreement on Tuesday alongside Australian minister of defense David Johnston and minister of foreign affairs Julie Bishop.

 

Hagel said during a press conference, “This is a part of the world that represents five of America’s seven treaty obligation countries that we are committed to, which we’ve made very clear we’re committed to.”

 

Johnston said the U.S. troops are helping train the Australian military. “The Marines, of course, are the world’s experts in amphibious combat and amphibious operations,” he said during the press conference. “And so, we’re watching as to how those operations are carried out.”

 

The recent troop increase is part of a 2011 agreement between the United States and Australia. It was in turn part of the Asia Pivot, which has focused the U.S. military on the Asia Pacific region.

 

The number of U.S. troops in Australia is comparatively small. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said during an Aug. 12 troop event in San Diego that the United States has 360,000 men and women currently deployed in the Asia Pacific.

 

China has previously threatened Australia for aligning with the United States.

 

A source who formerly worked in U.S. intelligence told Epoch Times that, around 2010 and early 2011, China was trying to strong-arm Australia with indirect threats.

 

The threat went along the lines of “If Australia was attacked, the United States wouldn’t get here in time to save you. You should align with China instead.”

 

Not long after, however, the United States signed the agreement with Australia and began stationing U.S. marines and airmen in the country.

 

In response, China’s Global Times published an article in November 2011 that brought its threats to the surface. “The U.S. military presence in Australia will not change matters in the short-term,” it stated. “It remains to be seen how Australia will behave in the future and how China is going to respond.”

 

“But one thing is certain,” it added,” if Australia uses its military bases to help the U.S. harm Chinese interests, then Australia itself will be caught in the crossfire.”

Australia extends Collins-class submarines maintenance contract with ASC

ASC has been awarded a contract extension to provide maintenance on the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) Collins-class submarine fleet.

 

The company will continue to perform all maintenance work at its headquarters in Osborne, Adelaide, South Australia, and Henderson, Western Australia.

 

ASC interim chief executive officer Stuart Whiley said: "This new contract recognises the significant improvement in performance and availability of the submarine fleet.

 

"ASC already performs significant submarine maintenance work and inventory management at its facilities at Henderson in Western Australia, to complement its maintenance, engineering and logistics capabilities in South Australia.

 

"ASC plans to build on its capability in Western Australia to perform all mid-cycle and intermediate maintenance work, enabling the focus in South Australia to be on the new two-year full cycle docking (FCD)."

 

The new phase of the in-service support contract (ISSC) represents ASC's significant work undertaken to improve availability and reliability of the fleet, and its submarine enterprise partners, including the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) and RAN.

 

The new support initiatives that have been included are the introduction of a circumferential hull, cut for easy access to the submarine, and efficient removal of the diesel engines.

 

Also included are the construction of a new maintenance support tower at ASC's South Australian facility, house key resources forfacilities around the boat, remediation of the supply chain, and the establishment of a rotable pool of spare parts.

 

The navy currently operates a fleet of six 78m-long Australian Submarine Corporation-built Collins-class submarines, which are designed to carry up to 22 missiles and torpedoes, as well as six 533mm forward-torpedo tubes with air-turbine pump discharge.

Australian - Navy frustrated over faulty fleet

Navy chief Ray Griggs has revealed that he is frustrated by his faulty fleet of patrol boats and admitted he cannot provide as many ships as he would like to Operation Sovereign Borders.

 In a rare public comment on the secretive issue of border protection, Vice-Admiral Griggs conceded there was a design fault across the navy’s 14 Armidale class patrol boats, which had confined many of them to port for urgent repairs.

 The operation was dealt a blow, with the discovery late last month of serious structural cracks in the patrol boat fleet, which made them unseaworthy in rough seas.

Australia Reviews Plan to Double Submarine Fleet

Australia will review plans to double its fleet of submarines, with the new conservative government under pressure to rein in its budget even as Asian neighbors dramatically ramp up military spending.

Defense Minister David Johnston said he was unconvinced that Australia needed as many as 12 new conventional submarines currently foreseen by military planners. It comes as regional neighbors, led by China, build up their naval and air arsenals amid disputes over territorial waters, especially in North Asia.

At a cost of up to 36 billion Australian dollars (US$32.28 billion), doubling the submarine fleet would be the country's largest single military purchase

An evolved Collins Class submarine is the leading option for Australia's next generation of submarines, Defence Minister David Johnston has revealed, renewing hopes that the final decision on the project will deliver jobs and investment in South Australia. 

              

Senator Johnston said in Adelaide yesterday that he believed an evolved Collins Class was a better choice than completely redesigning and building a new submarine.

 

Twelve next-generation submarines will be built under the SEA 1000 project, which has an estimated cost of up to $40 billion.

 

"Our experience is that to go down that path is quite problematic," said Senator Johnston, who was attending a Submarine Institute of Australia conference.

 

"The evolved Collins is the leading option … capitalising on our evolving corporate knowledge, so we will see what the department has done and what the plan is within the next month."

 

SA Defence Teaming Centre chief executive officer Chris Burns saying if this option was backed it would mean jobs and investment for the state.

 

"The centre for excellence of knowledge and capability about Collins is here in South Australia, so it further cements that the future submarines will be made here in SA," Mr Burns said.

 

"And an evolution of Collins means work will be able to commence sooner rather than later in terms of design."

 

The new Abbott government had said it would make a decision about the Future Submarine project within 18 months of taking office, along with creating a new defence white paper.

 

Senator Johnston said he intended pushing forward with "not a briefing but a seminar" over the future subs next month after returning from NATO meetings, to discuss what he described as the Federal Government's "number one priority at the moment".

 

Previously, the former Labor government had narrowed the Future Submarine decision to two main options for the new submarines - the evolved Collins boat or an entirely new Australian-designed and built option.

 

Both parties have committed to the submarines being assembled in South Australia.

 

Senator Johnston also said yesterday that he was confident there would be no gap in capability between the ageing Collins submarines being replaced.

 

"These subs are so important that time is of the essence," he said.

 

"The plan is coming together and you will hopefully shortly see exactly what we are doing with Collins, you will see the path that we are going to choose will be a middle path for SEA 1000 (future submarines)."

 

He said it was "the most important capability we've got at the moment".

 

But he also said that of equal priority was focusing on the sustainment and remediation of the existing six Collins class subs because "the life extension program is vital to the haste with which we must pursue the new boat".

 

"The submarine life extension program will allow an orderly transition to the new submarine without a capability gap but that's not to say we are slowing down SEA 1000 in any shape of form it just means there's a little more time," he said.

 

New subs to be much bigger than Collins

Australia's next submarine will be much bigger than the existing Collins boats but the likely cost won't be known for years, a senior defence official says. 

 

David Gould, general manager for submarines in the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO), said he couldn't estimate the cost of a vessel not yet designed and could not endorse estimates of $36-40 billion in some studies.

Under the 2009 and 2013 Defence White Papers, Australia is looking to replace the six Collins submarines with 12 new vessels of greater range, longer endurance and expanded capabilities.

This is set to be Australia's largest ever defence procurement.

Mr Gould said the new boats would have to be larger than the 3500-tonnes Collins.

"It will be in my opinion larger, much larger. That's the work we are doing at the moment," he told an Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) national security lunch.

The 2013 White Paper reduced the acquisition options from four to two, ruling out the cheapest options of an existing overseas design or an existing model with some Australia-specific systems.

That leaves either an evolution of the Collins or an all-new design.

Mr Gould said Australia had reached agreement with the government of Sweden on intellectual property rights to allow a start on concept designs for an evolved Collins.

That work would be undertaken by German shipbuilder TKMS, now the parent of Swedish firm Kockums, the original Collins designer.

Mr Gould said TKMS would have to correct known defects with Collins and propose improvements.

"But we will not allow them to increase the diameter of the pressure hull - to do so would clearly cross the threshold of a new design," he said.

Mr Gould said two concept designs should have been completed in two years and a decision made on the propulsion system for the first two or three boats.

There would be a much better handle on costs of design and construction.

"But we will not have contract quality costs for a build by any stretch of the imagination at that point," he said.

Australian destroyer's final keel block in place

The final keel block of Australia's first-of-class air warfare destroyers has been lifted into place in preparation for hull consolidation next year.

"This particular block will house flotation and stabilization equipment for the Hobart and will now be consolidated into the existing ship structure to complete the keel," Minister for Defense Materiel Dr. Mike Kelly said.

"The keel is the main structural element stretching along the center line of the bottom of a ship from the bow to the stern. The keel blocks will contain part of the Vertical Launch System, the diesel and gas turbine main engine rooms, auxiliary engine rooms, ballast tanks, propeller shafts and sonar equipment."

Work on the destroyer is taking place at the ASC Pty Ltd. shipyard in Adelaide. ASC is part of the AWD Alliance, formed with the government's Defense Materiel Organization and systems integrator Raytheon Australia.

Consolidation of the hull of the Hobart is expected to be completed by early next year.

Each Hobart-class destroyer will have 48 missile cells -- each cell able to be armed with either a single Standard Missile 2, or four Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles.

"The Hobart Class destroyers will provide the Royal Australian Navy with the most capable warships they have ever operated, with a sophisticated range of both offensive and defensive weapons," Kelly said.

Australia is building three Hobart-class AWD ships.

Australia Sells Amphibs for Scrap

The Royal Australian Navy’s two Kanimbla class amphibious ships have been sold to a US company for scrap, Minister for Defence Materiel Dr. Mike Kelly announced this week.

Southern Metals LLC, based in New Orleans, concluded the deal with the Australian government May 20, and it was made public by the Australian minister June 24. The selling price was undisclosed due to “commercial in confidence” considerations.

The two vessels, Kanimbla and Manoora, have been languishing in Sydney Harbour since being decommissioned in 2011. A Request for Tender was released to domestic and international markets for their disposal for recycling in June 2012. Earlier plans to sell the hulks as dive wrecks were abandoned following fears of public backlash.

“The disposal of Manoora and Kanimbla by sale has been completed in less than two years from the date the vessels were withdrawn from service, providing the best and most competitive net disposal cost to the commonwealth,” Kelly said.

Disposal of the two ships is subject to US government ITAR restrictions. They will be recycled in accordance with Australia’s environmental standards by 2014.

Kanimbla and Manoora are ex-US Navy Newport class LPDs, purchased in 1994 and locally modified for use by the Royal Australian Navy. In September 2010, the ships were the subject of an operational pause following age-related seaworthiness concerns. As a result, Manoora was prematurely decommissioned in May 2011 and Kanimbla in November of the same year.

Their amphibious capability is being replaced by existing vessels in the interim but will be filled from 2015 with the introduction of the RANs, two 27,000-ton Landing Helicopter Dock ships currently under construction.

Collins submarines have reached their performance targets

The recent article in The Australian "Two subs out of action for six years" (24/6) suggests that ASC has missed deadlines for the maintenance of HMAS Collins and the Collins sustainment program in general. This is incorrect. 

 

ASC is working with our submarine enterprise partners, the navy, the Defence Material Organisation and the Finance Department to achieve international benchmarks for fleet availability and reliability as identified by British specialist John Coles. We are safely doing this by driving productivity initiatives in our production, engineering, planning and supply chain capability.

This year we have reached our performance targets. We have proven that high availability can be generated from the Collins class.

Mathematically, it is plain that availability for a class of six submarines will be maximised by moving to a 10-year operating and two-year deep maintenance cycle. HMAS Collins is a core part of that plan.

ASC welcomes scrutiny of the public and the media into our performance. We are proud to lead advanced manufacturing in the naval industry and the defence of our country.

Steve Ludlum, chief executive, ASC, Adelaide, SA

ROBERT Bond's letter (25/6) on our future submarines made interesting reading and reinforces the need for our politicians to consider all options available. It is pointless to expect them to consider nuclear power because for some reason the N-word is a step too far. But they should look at the German Type-212 submarine operating with the German and Italian navies. Unlike the Collins boats, the Type-212 can stay submerged for two weeks and cover 1500 nautical miles. Its long range is ideal for Australia.

To design and build a new super-Collins from scratch without considering this technology is pure folly and a guaranteed waste of our money.

Australia - Navy eyeing off new Japanese submarines

The Admiral in charge of planning for Australia's next generation of submarines and the chief defence scientist are studying an advanced new submarine in service with the Japanese navy. 

Rear-Admiral Rowan Moffitt, head of the Royal Australian Navy's Future Submarine Program, and Dr Alexander Zelinsky, the Chief Defence Scientist, travel to Japan this month to look at the Soryu-class submarines, which started service with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force three years ago. 

Submarines no longer all at sea 

Access to the Soryu technology was discussed during a visit to Australia last month by the Japanese navy's chief, Admiral Masahiko Sugimoto. It was only in December that Tokyo lifted its post-World War II embargo on defence exports. 

The 4200-tonne Soryu-class boats are the only new conventional submarines of the size and capabilities set out in Canberra's 2009 defence white paper for 12 new submarines to take over from the Collins-class subs from the late 2020s. 

''Our strategy with the Japanese is one of hope, because there are some very attractive characteristics about the Japanese submarine,'' Rear-Admiral Moffitt said. 

As well as having a close alliance relationship with the United States similar to Australia's, Japan's navy operated in the same Asia-Pacific environment, which was reflected in its submarine design, he said. 

''Their submarine, by all accounts, and their design and the evolution of that design, has by all accounts brought them to the point of having a very good submarine,'' Rear-Admiral Moffitt said.

''However, submarine technology tends to be crown-jewel stuff for nations, it tends to be at the most extreme end of sensitivity that nations have about protecting their intellectual property - especially if they have developed it themselves, as Japan has, as the US has. They've invested a vast amount of money doing that.'' 

Under a $214 million allocation in this year's budget, the RAN has stepped up work on selecting the new submarine design. Four options are: Adapting an existing ''military off the shelf'' or MOTS submarine, a large ''evolved MOTS'' design, an evolution of the Collins class, and a completely new Australian design. 

Until the Soryu became theoretically available, off-the-shelf submarines included only German, French and Spanish designs of about 2000 tonnes.

Australia - Two subs out of action for six years

TWO of navy's six Collins-class submarines will be out service for more than six years under the Gillard government's new maintenance regime.

HMAS Rankin and HMAS Collins have been out of action while undergoing maintenance in Adelaide, and will be returned to the Royal Australian Navy much later than the present three-year deadlines. The Rankin is the youngest submarine in the fleet yet it has been docked since 2008. It will not be released by shipbuilder ASC until the middle of next year at the earliest. The Collins is the fleet's oldest and has been at the ASC facility in Adelaide since last August. It will not be released until 2018.

Australia - Minister for Defence Materiel – Sale of decommissioned Ships Manoora and Kanimbla

Minister for Defence Materiel Dr Mike Kelly AM MP today announced the disposal by sale of the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) decommissioned ships HMAS Manoora and HMAS Kanimbla.

Dr Kelly said the Navy vessels would be recycled by purchaser Southern Recycling LLC in the United States in a manner commensurate to the environmental standards the Commonwealth expected of such disposal activities by 2014.

“In June 2012, the Department of Defence released a Request for Tender offering the two former Australian naval vessels for sale for recycling to domestic and international markets,” Dr Kelly said.

The disposal of these vessels required US Government consent in accordance with US International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which has now been achieved.

Contract negotiations with the preferred purchaser were completed in early May 2013 and the disposal contract was signed on 20 May 2013. The contract details regarding cost are ‘Commercial in Confidence’. The ships were withdrawn from service in 2011. 

“The disposal of Manoora and Kanimbla by sale has been completed in less than two years from the date the vessels were withdrawn from service, providing the best and most competitive net disposal cost to the Commonwealth,” Dr Kelly said.

The ships were formally decommissioned with ceremonies in 2012. Memorabilia from the ships has been transferred to the Naval Heritage Collection Headquarters and the main repository at Spectacle Island, which are both located in Sydney.

HMAS Tobruk and HMAS Choules now continue to provide Navy’s core amphibious capability together with Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield, until Australia’s First Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) HMAS Canberra is commissioned in 2014.

HMAS Choules recently completed a successful period of ‘Shakedown’ training in far north Queensland which included flying operations with a Royal Australian Navy Multi-Role Helicopter (MRH90) and is currently taking part in a joint Navy and Army amphibious exercise called Exercise SEA LION from 10–24 June 2013.

Media contacts:
Minister Kelly’s office: Robbie Rynehart (02) 6277 7730 or 0459 810 654
Defence Media Operations (02) 6127 1999

Australia seeks Triton superdrones for Indian Ocean overwatch

With elections looming and pressure for budget savings, the purchase of up to seven MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft has emerged as rare point of bipartisan agreement between Australia's Labor government and conservative opponents, but both sides are reluctant to discuss their wider strategic aims.

Rising Indian Ocean rivalries as China seeks to safeguard key energy lifelines loom behind an Australian push for a $3 billion fleet of maritime superdrones, which will likely boost intelligence sharing with the United States.

 "There's not a lot of new money in our policy, (but) we are going into Broad Area Maritime Surveillance, the Triton," said conservative defense spokesman David Johnston, who is likely to become defense minister following the September 14 elections.

The Triton, under development by Northrop Grumman, is the size of a small airliner with a 40-metre wingspan. It can cruise at 20,000 meters for up to 30 hours, sweeping a distance greater than Sydney to London with 360-degree radar and sensors including infra-red and optical cameras.

Both the government and opposition say the world's most expensive and advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) will be used mainly to combat asylum seekers arriving in fishing boats from Indonesia and Sri Lanka, and which have become a hot political issue in Australia.

"But it is not about detecting leaky boats. You don't need to spend billions of dollars to do that. This is about maritime security and surveillance in the Indian Ocean," a senior Labor insider with close knowledge of defense planning said.

"This is a force multiplier. It's better to think of Triton as a mobile satellite we can steer around the Indian Ocean," said the source, who declined to be identified because of sensitivity around what will be an Asia-first military purchase.

The U.S. Navy is still testing the Triton and has plans to buy 68, with the first due in service in 2015. Several will be based at Guam, the key U.S. base in the western Pacific, as part of a repositioning of forces in the Asia-Pacific as China's strategic clout expands into the South China Sea and beyond.

Critics of the U.S. "pivot" have warned that sophisticated drone and UAV aircraft could be destabilizing as Asian militaries seek to modernize with new submarines, warships and aircraft, including Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter.

ENERGY SUPPLY

The Indian Ocean has become one of the world's most vital routes for energy and raw material supply, with over 80 percent of China's oil imports transiting through the area. Japan, India and South Korea are also dependent on Indian Ocean routes.

Australia's Labor government, under pressure to make cuts in Australia's $24 billion a year defense budget, has asked the United States for information on the Triton.

But Johnston said a conservative government in Australia, traditionally a close U.S. ally, had already decided on seven to help with border patrols.

"Triton has the endurance to go from Broome (on Australia's northwest coast) or Darwin to Sri Lanka, do a couple of laps, and then come home without stopping," he said.

Both sides are reluctant to mention Chinese ships and submarines as a target of Triton surveillance, as Beijing is Australia's largest trade partner and bristles about Western efforts to contain its growing strategic clout.

Andrew Davies, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said Canberra would be using Tritons for more than just border surveillance, and would push their security envelope well into the Indian Ocean.

One Triton, when complemented by Australia's intended purchase of Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, can cover almost seven million square kilometers in one mission, twice the surface area of India.

"Tritons will be contributing to the military surveillance picture, and to the extent that Chinese military expansion is one of the things that needs to be kept an eye on, they will be doing that," said Davies.

He said the Tritons would effectively become the southern arm of a broad allied network that would see Canberra exchanging intelligence with the United States, which already rotates Marines and naval ships through northern Australia.

Johnston, whose conservatives have always favored the tightest possible U.S. alliance, said Australian Tritons would neutralize thoughts in Washington of Canberra's far-flung Cocos-Keeling islands being upgraded as a base for U.S. UAVs in the eastern Indian Ocean, just south of Indonesia.

"Darwin would be much more logical," he said.

China's vessel Haixun 01 visits Sydney

China's largest patrol and rescue ship Haixun 01 set out for its first visit to Australia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Malaysia and arrived at Sydney's Garden Island port on Saturday morning.

Scheduled to depart from Shanghai on June 13, Haixun 01 is expected to join the Asia-Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies Forum in Australia's Cairns on July 2.

It will visit Indonesia's Jakarta port before stopping at Myanmar and Malaysia.

"It's our first time to send a maritime patrol boat to visit several countries, and it's also our longest trip in terms of navigation mileage," said Zhai Jiugang, deputy director of the maritime safety administration, commenting on the 60-some day, 13,909 nautical mile trip.

It's also the first time China sent a patrol and rescue ship to visit the southern hemisphere.

Chief of Australian Maritime Safety Authority Graham Peachey welcomed the vessel's arrival by saying that the visit showed the close collaboration between Australia and China on maritime safety, according to Xinhua.

During the weeklong visit in Sydney, AMSA personnel will meet with their Chinese counterparts and undertake a tabletop search and rescue exercise scheduled for Wednesday, said Peachey.

A series of maritime cooperation exercises, including the maritime search and rescue exercises, maritime safety management and disaster relief, will be carried out between Haixun 01 and marine authorities of the four mentioned countries, according to Xu Guoyi, head of the Shanghai Maritime Bureau and also the captain.

Issues such as water traffic safety, anti-terrorism and anti-pollution will also be discussed.

"The trip provides an opportunity to learn from each other and to jointly improve our capability of maritime management and service," he said, adding it strengthens the ties and exchanges between countries' development of shipping and trade.

The 128.6-meter-long, 5,418-ton vessel, which has a maximum sailing distance of 18,520 km without refueling, only officially joined the Shanghai maritime authority in the middle of April and it's this brand-new vessel's first trip abroad. Haixun 01 is also equipped with a helipad to allow airborne searches and rescue missions.

"The vessel, which can also be regarded as a helicopter carrier, makes it possible to expand the cruising range for search and rescue," Zhai said. Haixun 01 is expected to return to Shanghai by Aug 9.

ThyssenKrupp Submarine Unit Wins Access to Australia Bid

ThyssenKrupp AG (TKA) secured the chance to help develop a submarine for Australia after the country signed an agreement with Sweden’s government clearing the way for the involvement of the company’s Kockums AB unit. 

The accord gives Australia the right to use Swedish intellectual property for submarine design and technology, the Canberra-based Department of Defence said in a statement. The deal was necessary to begin working with Kockums, it said. 

Australian authorities have been exploring replacement of six Collins Class submarines, which were based on a Kockums design. The government said on May 3 that it’s proceeding with the project, dubbed SEA 1000, to assemble 12 of the vessels domestically and narrowed options to a new design or building an evolved version of the Collins configuration, with an off-the-shelf purchase discarded. 

“This agreement will pave the way for Swedish involvement in Australia’s future submarine program,” Defense Minister Stephen Smith said in today’s statement. “The ability for Australia to utilize Swedish submarine technology is a critical element, not only of the work on the Future Submarine Program but also in addressing the continuing challenges with the maintenance and sustainment of the Collins Class fleet.” 

HMAS Collins, the lead submarine, was commissioned in 1996. The last of the current six vessels isn’t scheduled to be retired until about 2031, after entering service in 2003. 

ThyssenKrupp doesn’t break out figures for Kockums. A spokeswoman at the Essen, Germany-based parent company wasn’t immediately available to comment. 

Kockums was part of ThyssenKrupp’s marine-systems business, which generated 3 percent of group sales at the steelmaker in the year through Sept. 30. The newly combined marine-systems and plant-technology division, dubbed industrial solutions, accounted for 15 percent of ThyssenKrupp’s revenue in the fiscal first half ended March 31.

Australia, Sweden sign agreement on submarine technology

Australia and Sweden have achieved a "significant milestone agreement" relating to Intellectual Property rights for submarine design and technology, Defence Minister Stephen Smith said Thursday.

The agreement followed extensive negotiations between Australia's Defence Materiel Organisation and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, Smith said in a statement issued jointly with Sweden's Minister for Defence Karin Enstrom, reported Xinhua.

"This agreement gives effect to Australia's rights to use and disclose Swedish Intellectual Property rights for complex submarine design and technology," Smith said. 

"Defence materiel cooperation has been a key feature of the Sweden-Australia relationship, most notably in the area of submarine technology where our collaboration over the construction and support of the Collins submarines has spanned two decades, and more recently, with the vital 'sense and warn' capability provided to protect our troops in Afghanistan," he added. 

In 1987, Australia ordered six submarines of the Collins Class designed by Swedish firm Kockums AB. The submarines were built in Adelaide and will be in service for another 20 years. 

Australia is now planning for their replacement with 12 new boats with the recent 2013 Defence White Paper settling on two options - an evolution of Collins or a completely new design. 

Smith said the government announced last year it would engage Kockums to undertake initial design studies for the evolved Collins. But before that could occur, Australia needed to reach an agreement with Sweden on use of Collins and other Swedish technology for the Future Submarine Program.

Singapore and Australia sign submarine rescue arrangement

RAN's Chief of Navy Vice-Admiral Ray Griggs (left) and RSN's Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Ng Chee Peng (right) at the signing the Submarine Rescue Arrangement on board the RSN’s submarine rescue and support vessel, MV Swift Rescue.

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)'s Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Ng Chee Peng signed the Submarine Rescue Arrangement with Royal Australian Navy (RAN)'s Chief of Navy Vice-Admiral Ray Griggs earlier today.

The agreement was signed on board the RSN's submarine rescue and support vessel, MV Swift Rescue.

The Submarine Rescue Arrangement establishes a framework between the RSN and RAN in the area of submarine rescue support and cooperation. Under the arrangement, the RSN will make available to the RAN MV Swift Rescue and other resources to render support and assistance in the event of an RAN submarine incident.

The Ministry of Defence said that the Submarine Rescue Arrangement reaffirms the close and long-standing bilateral defence relationship between Singapore and Australia, where both armed forces interact frequently through exercises, visits, professional exchanges and military courses.

Australian military, industry meet over problem projects

Senior Australian defense officials and heads of Australian defense companies have met over troubled defense projects.

Australian Minister for Defense Materiel Mike Kelly said progress made in remediation plans for each of six problem programs on the Projects of Concern list since a meeting was held in November were looked at.

"We are seeing tangible benefits in having government, (Department of) Defense and industry representatives discussing issues together and working towards remediation of these troubled projects," Kelly said. "Ultimately, results from these summits will deliver real benefits to the men and women of the Australian Defense Force."

The six projects involve Collins class submarines, a multi-role tanker aircraft, a multi-role helicopter, a redevelopment effort, direct fire support weapons and electronic support measures upgrade for maritime patrol planes.

The Australian Department of Defense said that since last November two projects were removed from the list but two others added.

All parties are said to be working together to achieve the main aim of the Projects of Concern process in putting the projects back on track and removed from the list.

The bi-annual face-to-face meetings have been held since 2011. A total of 21 projects have been put on the list with 15 removed -- 13 due to remediation and two due to cancellation.