Over 300 Defence industry representatives gathered in Canberra yesterday for the Land Environment Working Group (LEWG) meeting to get an update from senior Army capability leaders.
Chaired by Major General Kathryn Toohey, the day provided an overview and update on the range of Army programs currently in the works and those being shaped (except for self-propelled guns, which were avoided as a topic altogether).
With industry now recognised as a Fundamental Input to Capability (FIC), MAJGEN Toohey was keen to highlight the gains being made by Army in its engagement of industry through various channels such as Army Innovation Day, the Innovation Hub and a change in attitude towards industry within Army.
“We don’t want contractual relationships; we want actual partners to achieve outcomes. But we need you to ensure that you are also truly partnering on integration challenges,” MAJGEN Toohey said.
MAJGEN Toohey also announced a range of policy frameworks that will be coming into effect, with the GVA standards for vehicles and a new ‘land worthiness’ framework on the cards to be ratified formally by Chief of Army later this year, highlighting the Army robotics strategy released late last year and an active strategy towards working more openly with industry in the requirements phase of Army programs.
Head of Helicopter Systems Division Shane Fairweather also confirmed that work was being done to clarify their documentation into ‘plain English’, noting that from his time in industry it can be hard to decipher what the Commonwealth actually wants even after reading all the tender documentation.
Head of Land Systems Division Major General Andrew Bottrell gave the high level overview of the division, noting that he has 1,000 staff in APS and ADF managing 22 projects with a total budget in 2018/19 of $1.47 billion and in excess of $7 billion worth of contracts signed.
Having recently returned from some time in industry with both Lockheed Martin and Boeing in the US, MAJGEN Bottrell seconded MAJGEN Toohey’s approach towards industry, noting that ‘we’re all in this together’ and that the need to foster greater understanding between the two communities is key.
Brigadier Richard Vagg, Director General of Systems and Integration, confirmed that the next Army Innovation Day will be on September 25 at ADFA with a focus on network assurance. Details of the event and how to pitch for the day will be released through the special notices channel later this year.
Director General of Logistics Brigadier Todd Ashurst explained Army’s move towards more reliability-centred maintenance (RCM) practices.
“We’re focused more on run to failure, preventative maintenance with predictive and condition based (based on HUMS data) work packages,” he said. “We have fleets that don’t do many kilometres in a year and spend a lot of time in depots, or at the point where some elements can and will fail - and that’s ok.”
Head of Armoured Vehicle Division Major General Dave Coghlan and Colonel Tony Duus, Director of Armoured Fighting Vehicle Systems, both confirmed that the Land 907 phases alongside Land 8160 will be based on an M1 chassis.
“If you’re a European company trying to sell me a Leopard or Merkava, come back in 30 years,” MAJGEN Coghlan quipped.
COL Duus clarified that there will be little opportunity for Australian industry in the acquisition phases of both programs but there will be significant work in the sustainment elements. They also confirmed that there will be new tanks in the mix as part of the program.
COL Duus also confirmed that Land 400 Phase 2 vehicles will be equipped with Iron Fist and the tanks with Trophy, but neither ‘perfectly meet the active protection requirement in the face of diving missiles like Javelin or Spike LR 2’.
Brigadier Tim Bayliss and his team from Special Operations Command were as open as they could be about the forward program of work for Special Forces.
“Both 1508 and 1530 run as enduring programs that are both acquisition and sustainment,” he said. “There are known interdependencies with big Army programs. Both are able to inform one another. Sometimes SOC acts as a risk reduction activity for big Army. And SOC can put their requirements in to the bigger programs like lethality for sniper gun.”
Details from the day will be available to LEWG members via the Govdex website.