Australija (Australian Defence Force)

[HasoMujo]

Bok svima,

Vrlo zanimljivi projekt u Australiji za tzv. "Loyal Wingman Drone" koncept...


Australia's Potentially Game-Changing Loyal Wingman Drone Has Flown For The First Time

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...the-first-time

Australia's Potentially Game-Changing Loyal Wingman Drone Has Flown For The First Time

Boeing Airpower Teaming System is set to revolutionize how the Royal Australian Air Force fights and the drone's export potential continues to grow.
By Tyler Rogoway March 1, 2021


Known as the Airpower Teaming System (ATS), Boeing Australia's new loyal wingman drone for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has taken to the sky for the first time. It's not clear exactly when the flight took place, but it occurred at the high-security RAAF Base Woomera and its surrounding range complex. The flight was originally supposed to occur around the end of 2020, but it was pushed back due to a number of factors.

The ATS, which is a modular design capable of having its entire nose section swapped out quickly, is seen as a landmark program for Australia and the RAAF. It is the first clean-sheet aircraft Boeing has brought to fruition outside the U.S. and the first military aircraft Australia has independently produced in over half a century. ATS is meant to work in combination with the RAAF's fleet of F/A-18F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, and E-7 Wedgetails, as well as F-35s, acting as loyal wingmen by providing additional offensive and defensive capabilities to these existing combat aircraft. Really, that's an understatement. ATS has the potential to totally revolutionize the RAAF's air combat tactics playbook. You can read all about this promising program and the ATS's stated capabilities in this in-depth War Zone feature.


A Boeing press release reads, in part:

“The Loyal Wingman’s first flight is a major step in this long-term, significant project for the Air Force and Boeing Australia, and we’re thrilled to be a part of the successful test,” said Air Vice-Marshal Cath Roberts, RAAF Head of Air Force Capability. “The Loyal Wingman project is a pathfinder for the integration of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence to create smart human-machine teams.

“Through this project we are learning how to integrate these new capabilities to complement and extend air combat and other missions,” she said.

Following a series of taxi tests validating ground handling, navigation and control, and pilot interface, the aircraft completed a successful takeoff under its own power before flying a pre-determined route at different speeds and altitudes to verify flight functionality and demonstrate the performance of the Airpower Teaming System design.

“Boeing and Australia are pioneering fully integrated combat operations by crewed and uncrewed aircraft,” said Boeing Defense, Space & Security President and CEO Leanne Caret. “We’re honored to be opening this part of aviation’s future with the Royal Australian Air Force, and we look forward to showing others how they also could benefit from our loyal wingman capabilities.”

With support from more than 35 Australian industry teams and leveraging Boeing’s innovative processes, including model-based engineering techniques, such as a digital twin to digitally flight-test missions, the team was able to manufacture the aircraft from design to flight in three years.

This first Loyal Wingman aircraft is serving as the foundation for the Boeing Airpower Teaming System being developed for various global defense customers. The aircraft will fly alongside other platforms, using artificial intelligence to team with existing crewed and uncrewed assets to complement mission capabilities.

Additional Loyal Wingman aircraft are currently under development, with plans for teaming flights scheduled for later this year.


Beyond Australia's borders, the ATS could become a massive export windfall for the country and Boeing Australia, one that is not dictated by the United States' strict export controls. Demand for loyal wingman drones, especially those with low-observable (stealthy) characteristics, is set to explode in the coming years as air arms plus-up their air combat fleets. Pairing loyal wingmen with existing tactical jet types is emerging as a potentially promising and economical way to provide some of the capabilities that would only be offered by far more expensive stealth fighters. For those air forces that already have stealth fighters, loyal wingmen could broaden their combat aircraft capacity and drastically enhance the capabilities and overall flexibility of those existing fighters. The U.S. is actively pursuing similar capabilities in the form of its Skyborg program, as well as other parallel initiatives. Boeing Australia's design could even factor into that program in the near future.

As for what comes next, three ATS demonstrators are being fielded that are said to be very close to representative of follow-on production vehicles. Considering how fast this program is moving—it was only announced just two years ago—flight testing will likely ramp up quickly, with all three test vehicles eventually joining up alongside other assets in the air. Much of the basic command logic that will drive the ATS has already been tested on subscale flying demonstrators.

There is no doubt about it, what you are looking at in this video is a major part of the future of air combat. We will update this post when more information comes available.

[HasoMujo]

Bok svima,

Australija će modernizirati sve postojeće stare podmornice klase "Collins" za oko 5 milijardi US $ dok ne stignu nove podmornice klase "Attack" (koje će graditi Francuzi - cijena oko 40 milijardi US $)...


"Australia To Upgrade All Its Aging Submarines Amid Chronic Delays To Its New French Design"

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...-french-design

"Australia To Upgrade All Its Aging Submarines Amid Chronic Delays To Its New French Design"

The costly refurbishment comes as the government confirms its new submarines won’t be fully combat-ready until 2054.

By Thomas Newdick June 11, 2021


As Australia waits for its 12 new, controversial Attack class submarines, the country’s defense ministry has announced that it will spend around $4.6 billion keeping its current fleet of Collins class submarines viable until they can be replaced. Previous plans would have modernized just three of the Collins class, but the ministry has been forced to make the move since the first of the Attack class is not now expected to be delivered until around 2035, while the full fleet won’t achieve final operational capability (FOC) until 2054.

Australia’s Minister of Defense Peter Dutton confirmed the plans for a life-of-type extension (LOTE) for the six Collins class submarines, as reported by the Defence Connect website. It’s a significant investment in the aging Collins class design, the first example of which entered service in the mid-1990s and reflects the latest in an ongoing series of concerns about delays with the Attack class program, which was originally supposed to enter service in the early 2030s.

The Collins class submarines were designed by the Swedish firm Kockums, which is now part of Saab. These are large conventionally powered submarines, with a submerged displacement of almost 3,500 tons and a length of 254 feet. Details of the LOTE program have not been announced, but the plan is to ensure that the Collins boats remain suitable for combat operations until the Attack class is declared ready for frontline service.

“We need to be realistic about what lies ahead by way of threat in our own region, and the submarine capacity is a significant part of how we mitigate that risk and it’s important we get the program right”, Dutton told The Australian. “There is no doubt in my mind that we need to pursue a life-of-type extension [for the Collins class].”

LOTE work will commence on each Collins class submarine as it reaches 30 years of service, with a thorough rebuild that will take around two years per boat. According to Defence Connect, upgrade work will be carried out by ASC in Adelaide, which originally built the vessels, while the government confirmed by that Saab will be active in a supporting role. The first Collins is due begin undergoing the upgrade work in 2026.

Dutton admitted the modernization program presented “a tight timeline, no question.”

In the background to this latest development, there is still confusion as to the viability of the ambitious Attack class program, also known as SEA 1000.

Back in 2016, France’s Naval Group (then known as DCNS) won the SEA 1000 contract to replace the Collins class. The Naval Group’s Attack class submarine is a derivative of the Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A design. Equipped with advanced technologies, likely to include air-independent propulsion systems, as well as the AN/BYG-1 Submarine Payload Control System, the Attack class is enormously expensive — it’s now projected to cost around $69 billion. Back when the French submarine was selected the total program cost was projected to be a little under $40 billion.

The cost of the program, as well as worries about workshare for the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia that will build the submarines, as well as technology sharing, has dogged the SEA 1000 project. The original agreement required at least 60 percent of the contract value to be invested in local industry.

Exactly why the program has become so expensive is not entirely clear and this lack of transparency on the financial issues has been a persistent source of conflict between the Australian and French sides. However, we do know that the $69 billion includes funds for research and development, integration of combat systems, establishing indigenous production facilities, plus support infrastructure. With that in mind, a unit cost of $8 billion per hull is somewhat misleading. On the other hand, the fact remains that two years ago France claimed that it had budgeted just over $10 billion for a total of six Barracuda class boats that it’s buying for its own navy.

Earlier this year, it was reported the Australian government was even thinking of canceling the contract with Naval Group entirely. Instead, thought has apparently been given to an alternative design based on the Collins class, to be built by Naval Group’s Australian subsidiary.

More recently, there have been reports that the government is also examining acquiring a German submarine — almost certainly the Type 216 submarine from Thyssen Krupp that lost out in the original SEA 1000 bidding — as an interim measure pending full availability of the Attack class. That would seem an extravagant solution but bearing in mind the Type 216 was expected to come in at around half the cost of the French design, it could potentially be feasible, albeit far more expensive than an upgrade to the Collins class.

Dutton noted that there had been “problems with the arrangements with Naval Group,” and assured that everything was being done to ensure that contractual obligations were being met. Nevertheless, all this only adds to the delays in actually putting the new submarines to sea and makes the need for an interim solution more urgent.

Earlier this month, as part of a wider overhaul of its leadership, Naval Group Australia brought in a new executive vice president for its Future Submarines program.

Clearly, Australia needs a replacement for its aging Collins class submarines, one way or another. While the costs of the Attack class may be eye-watering, the Royal Australian Navy recognizes the importance of submarines in modern naval warfare, in general, and to Australia, in particular, as a major Pacific naval power. This is especially relevant at a time when China is rapidly expanding its own navy and introducing submarines that are faster and harder to detect.

What seems to be the current favored solution — upgrading the existing Collins class while waiting to see what happen with the Attack class — seems risky, but it does at least give Naval Group another chance to put its program onto the right track. At the same time, local shipbuilding industry will be kept busy with repairs works to the older submarines at least until it can begin work on its successor. For now, that is still likely to be the Naval Group design, but talk of more than one alternative under consideration suggests that there is still potential, at least, that this might still change.

[LDLT]

Australija vjerojatno dobiva nuklearne podmornice, u suradnji sa Amerima i Britancima.
Već neko vrijeme je očito da od sporazuma sa Francuzima nema ništa. Niti će Attack/Barrakude biti isporučene na vrijeme, niti u okviru proračuna, niti Naval u izgradnju želi uključiti više poduzeća iz Australije, bez obzira na pritiske...a možda i postoje brige radi curenja podataka/hakerskih upada u DCNS/Naval. Ironija je što je visoka cijena Francuza direktna posljedica pokušaja prilagodbe nuklearnog dizajna zahtjevu Australije za konvencionalnim pogonom.
Biti će zanimljivo vidjeti što će od ovoga biti, Australija bi od Collinsa mogla odmah upasti u prvu ligu što se tiče nuklearnih podmornica. Uživaju visoku razinu povjerenja Washingtona, što znači da će vjerojatno dobiti pristup tehnologiji kao i UK, tj. postati tek druga zemlja ikada sa kojom Ameri dijele tu tehnologiju. Nekako sam mislio da će, u okviru CANZUK-a, UK, Kanada i Australija zajedno raditi na sljedećoj generaciji nuklearnih podmornica, uz odobrenje i pomoć SAD-a, tj. da će Ameri prestati blokirati pokušaje Kanade u tom smjeru. Australcima očito gori pod nogama, i ne žele čekati.
Inače, ovime bi Australija postala prva zemlja ikada sa nuklearnim podmornicama, a da nema vlastiti civilni nuklearni sektor. Najava je došla u okviru objave novog obrambenog pakta SAD-a, Australije i UK.

Australia to get U.S. nuclear submarine technology as China looms large

WASHINGTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - The United States, Britain and Australia said on Wednesday they would establish a security partnership for the Indo-Pacific that will involve helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines, as Chinese influence over the region grows.

Under the partnership, announced by President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the United States and Britain will provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines.

In a three-way virtual announcement from each of their capitals, the leaders stressed Australia will not be fielding nuclear weapons but using nuclear propulsion systems for the vessels, to guard against future threats.

"We all recognize the imperative of ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific over the long term," said Biden.

"We need to be able to address both the current strategic environment in the region, and how it may evolve because the future of each of our nations and indeed the world depends on a free and open Indo-Pacific enduring and flourishing in the decades ahead," he said.

Morrison said the submarines would be built in Adelaide in close cooperation with the United States and Britain.

U.S. officials said nuclear propulsion would allow the Australian navy to operate more quietly, for longer periods, and provide deterrence across the Indo-Pacific.

The officials said the partnership, dubbed AUKUS, would also involve cooperation in areas including artificial intelligence and quantum technology.

The partnership looks likely to end Australia's negotiations with French shipbuilder Naval Group to build it a new submarine fleet worth $40 billion to replace its more than two-decades-old Collins submarines, Australian media reported. read more

Biden said the governments would now launch an 18-month consultation period, "to determine every element of this program, from workforce, to training requirements, to production timelines" and to ensure full compliance with non-proliferation commitments.

The pact should be a boon for the U.S. defense industry and among the firms that could benefit are General Dynamics Corp (GD.N) and Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc (HII.N).

General Dynamics' Electric Boat business does much of the design work for U.S. submarines, but critical subsystems such as electronics and nuclear power plants are made by BWX Technologies Inc (BWXT.N)

Britain said the 18-month program would work out details as to what countries and companies would do what, with the aim for the first submarine to be delivered as quickly as possible.

U.S. officials did not give a time frame for when Australia would deploy a nuclear-powered submarine, or how many would be built. They said that since Australia does not have any nuclear infrastructure, it would require a sustained effort over years.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...ge-2021-09-15/

[otok_kiril]

Da, zbilja prava bomba iz Australije. Bit će zanimljivo vidjeti što će reći njihova oporba i ekolozi, pošto je uglavnom tu dosad bio problem kad je riječ o nuklearnoj propulziji. U svakom slučaju, ako su ozbiljni u vezi toga (dakle i spremni platiti koliko to košta) i ako su prethodno pripremili teren, bilo bi to iznimno dobro za njih. Mogli su mislim to i od Francuza dobiti, npr. suradnja s Brazilom.

[Microban]

Francuzi kmeče propalo ima 90 milijardi dolara?
https://www.b92.net/biz/vesti/svet.p...nav_id=1923607

[dk1]

najebali su francuze da im nuklearne prerade na dizel pa onda odustali i opet se odlučili na nuklearne,američke


ono što me šokiralo je cijena, 90 milijardi za 12 dizel podmornica

[Avocado]

Kako će ovo utjecati na Francusko sudjelovanje u američki dominantnom NATO paktu? Mogli bi se ponovno neformalno distancirati.

[otok_kiril]

dk1 kaže:

najebali su francuze da im nuklearne prerade na dizel pa onda odustali i opet se odlučili na nuklearne,američke


ono što me šokiralo je cijena, 90 milijardi za 12 dizel podmornica

To su troškovi i projekta i izgradnje i operativni troškovi za života ( 30+ godina ) plus inflacija.

[Avocado]

malo za nasmijati se: https://twitter.com/CarlZha/status/1438331127844851712

[LDLT]

otok_kiril kaže:

Mogli su mislim to i od Francuza dobiti, npr. suradnja s Brazilom.

Pa ne radi se isključivo o odabiru između nuklearnog i konvencionalnog pogona, sporazum ipak obuhvaća i suradnju na drugim poljima. Ali, što se tiče nuklearnih podmornica, Australija od Amera i Engleza naprosto može dobiti puno više nego od Francuza. Ok, sonari na Astute su Thalesovi, ali u cijelom nizu ostalih kategorija, a posebno u onoj najbitnijoj, koliko buke proizvode, Ameri i Englezi su sa nuklearnim podmornicama već dugo vremena nekoliko koplja ispred drugih.

Zeleni i Labour protiv, očekivano. Francuzi ogorčeni, također očekivano. Iako su nešto već i naplatili, a još će i naplatiti kroz penale, ipak su spušili ozbiljne novce, a mogli bi i spušiti još nekoliko narudžbi. Nizozemci će birati između varijante Shortfina i A26, Kanađani polako kreću u proces zamjene Upholdera.

[Shpiro]

Puno veća priča o tih podmornica je samo formiranje novog vojnog pakta. Ipak nam nema spasa, hladni rat dodatno zahlađuje.

[Rijecanin]

otok_kiril kaže:

To su troškovi i projekta i izgradnje i operativni troškovi za života ( 30+ godina ) plus inflacija.

To su troskovi izgradnje jedno 10 nosaca aviona...

Za koliko ono nijemci prodaju Type 214? 300 milijuna Eura? Ajd nek je 500 s inflacijom... Koliko nem love ostane za operativne troskove? Jedno 400 godina u sluzbi?

[Shpiro]

otok_kiril kaže:

To su troškovi i projekta i izgradnje i operativni troškovi za života ( 30+ godina ) plus inflacija.

Zapravo mene je začudilo kad sam pročitao npr ovo.

https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliam...lassSubmarines

Odmah pri početku, predzadnja točka kronološke liste.


Znači očekivana cijena je bila 50 milijardi australskih dolara (iz 2016, pretpostavljam. Nema mi smisla da je iz 2020) plus još 145 milijardi australskih dolara u projeciranim vrijednostima istih tijekom desetljeća službe, pa sve do 2080.

Onih 50 milijardi je već danas 53 milijarde zbog inflacije. Druga brojka je rađena po nekoj nedostupnoj nam dinamici plaćanja i uz nepoznatu nam projekciju inflacije. Ali kad bi recimo plaćanje bilo skroz linearno, pojednostavljeno, 145 milijardi u 60 godina, i kad bi inflacija ostala na recimo 1.5% godišnje, računica daje negdje cca 1.8 milijardi u prvoj godini pa lagano raste u svakoj sljedećoj godini. Nek' me netko svakako ispravi preciznijim računom.

Da se svo održavanje napravi odjednom, bez inflacije, to bi onda bilo 50+108 milijardi. Što po današnjem tečaju iz AUS dolara USD dolare iznosi 115 milijardi USD.


(ona cijena od 90 milijardi koja se katkad spominje očito u sebi sadrži inicijalni trošak plus samo dio operativnog troška)

[otok_kiril]

Shpiro kaže:

Puno veća priča o tih podmornica je samo formiranje novog vojnog pakta. Ipak nam nema spasa, hladni rat dodatno zahlađuje.

Pričali smo o tome davno. Bilo je to za očekivati.

[otok_kiril]

Avocado kaže:

malo za nasmijati se: https://twitter.com/CarlZha/status/1438331127844851712

Je, vidio sam to. Jaka fora. I što je najbitnije, istinita.

[otok_kiril]

Kad malko čovjek razmisli, sve sam manje uvjeren da im je ova priča sa nuklearkama dobar posao. Jednostavno, prevelike su im zapreke, čak i uz najveću prijateljsku i bratsku asistenciju. Fali svega, od podmorničara do nuklearnih inženjera do industrije...
( zvučim ko VFA-125 )

Nije baš oportun trenutak, Astute su na zalazu proizvodnje, nove klase nema još na vidiku, Virginie su prevelike i trebaju previše ljudstva, nešto sui generis za njih bi ih tek usosilo... Oni da sad počnu graditi, a neće, ne bi prvu dobili za 10 godina. A i da je dobiju, ne bi imali što s njom. Jednostavno, treba im SUSTAV, kojeg oni nemaju. Nije to sad stvar toga da ga ne mogu imati i dobiti ako su spremni potrošiti koliko treba, samo nisam baš uvjeren. Da ne spominjem da će to vjerojatno iduća vlada ako bude laburistička, vjerojatno otkazati.

[Rijecanin]

otok_kiril kaže:

Kad malko čovjek razmisli, sve sam manje uvjeren da im je ova priča sa nuklearkama dobar posao. Jednostavno, prevelike su im zapreke, čak i uz najveću prijateljsku i bratsku asistenciju. Fali svega, od podmorničara do nuklearnih inženjera do industrije...
( zvučim ko VFA-125 )

Nije baš oportun trenutak, Astute su na zalazu proizvodnje, nove klase nema još na vidiku, Virginie su prevelike i trebaju previše ljudstva, nešto sui generis za njih bi ih tek usosilo... Oni da sad počnu graditi, a neće, ne bi prvu dobili za 10 godina. A i da je dobiju, ne bi imali što s njom. Jednostavno, treba im SUSTAV, kojeg oni nemaju. Nije to sad stvar toga da ga ne mogu imati i dobiti ako su spremni potrošiti koliko treba, samo nisam baš uvjeren. Da ne spominjem da će to vjerojatno iduća vlada ako bude laburistička, vjerojatno otkazati.

Pa s obzirom da planiraju spickati 100+ milijardi u podmornicarstvo, bilo mi im pametnije da izgrade sustav. Za pocetak bi im bilo pametno da izgrade nuklearku ili dvije (ili deset), jer sami imaju trecinu svjetskih zaliha urana, i da krenu razvojem navedenog sustava. Kroz 30 godina, mogu sami graditi podmornice, reaktore, puniti ih gorivom i sve sto ide s time.

[zuikaku]

otok_kiril kaže:

Kad malko čovjek razmisli, sve sam manje uvjeren da im je ova priča sa nuklearkama dobar posao. Jednostavno, prevelike su im zapreke, čak i uz najveću prijateljsku i bratsku asistenciju. Fali svega, od podmorničara do nuklearnih inženjera do industrije...
( zvučim ko VFA-125 )

Nije baš oportun trenutak, Astute su na zalazu proizvodnje, nove klase nema još na vidiku, Virginie su prevelike i trebaju previše ljudstva, nešto sui generis za njih bi ih tek usosilo... Oni da sad počnu graditi, a neće, ne bi prvu dobili za 10 godina. A i da je dobiju, ne bi imali što s njom. Jednostavno, treba im SUSTAV, kojeg oni nemaju. Nije to sad stvar toga da ga ne mogu imati i dobiti ako su spremni potrošiti koliko treba, samo nisam baš uvjeren. Da ne spominjem da će to vjerojatno iduća vlada ako bude laburistička, vjerojatno otkazati.

Budaletine nisu htjele vrhunsku superiornu Soryu klasu već su se umjesto toga odlučili upustiti u koruptivnu močvaru i ulupati sulude količine novca. Sada su raskinuli sa Francuzima i odlučili još dublje ugaziti u koruptivnu močvaru i to sa nepoznatim, fiktivnim i tek planiranim tipom podmornice, nekim čudnovatim kljunašem. Uglavnom, logika samo njima znana jer im podmornice a nuklearni pogon zapravo ni ne trebaju.

Za tu lovu mogli su kupiti barem 100 komada od Germanskog vazalata ili Velikog I Sjajnog Japanskog Sunca

[Shpiro]

Cisto sumnjam da ćemo vidjeti novi dizajn podmornice. Australci tu nece moci previse birati i dobit ce sto stariji partner odluci da im treba. A to ce vjerojatno biti varijanta astute klase sa odredjenim Americkim podsustavima.

[Avocado]

Francuzi povukli veleposlanike iz Amerike i Australije.