ALR-2002 wins production orders

The ALR-2002 Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) will go into full-rate production under a $135.5 million contract announced in February. BAE Systems Australia will design, develop, integrate and install the RWR on the Army's fleets of Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters under Phase 2A of Project Echidna.

And subject to satisfactory contract negotiations, the ALR-2002 will also be installed on the RAAF's F/A-18 Hornets under Phase 2.3 of the Hornet Upgrade project, Air 5376, according to the Minister for Defence, Senator Robert Hill.

Senator Hill said the Electronic Warfare Self Protection systems envisaged for the Black Hawk, Chinook and Hornet aircraft represent an increasingly important capability for the ADF.

At the peak of activity, over 130 engineer and technician jobs will be sustained within BAE Systems over a three year period and around 15 positions will be created within a key sub-contractor, Brisbane-based MICREO Ltd. Additional orders of the ALR- 2002 locally or internationally, could sustain this employment for up to a decade.

The award of the Echidna Phase 2A contract follows the recent award of a $25 million contract to Tenix Defence for the integration and installation of an Electronic Warfare Self Protection capability to the fleet of C-130H Hercules aircraft based at Richmond NSW.

"The award of the Echidna contracts, and the production of the Australian radar warning receiver, will cement BAE Systems and Tenix as Defence's major strategic industry partners for electronic warfare systems," Senator Hill said.

This is consistent with the recently released Defence Electronic Systems Sector Strategic Plan and allows both BAE Systems and Tenix to maintain and develop further their current electronic warfare capabilities for future programs, such as the Joint Strike Fighter.