RAAF to get new Hornet simulator and airframe upgrade
Defence has signed a Deed of Agreement with Raytheon Australia and L-3 Communications' Link Simulation and Training division to provide the RAAF with a modern F/A-18 Hornet Aircrew Training System (HACTS) worth over $60 million.
The RAAF's F/A-18 Hornets will also get a $230 million structural upgrade to enable the Hornet fleet to achieve its life of type, the Defence Minister, Senator Robert Hill, announced in November. He said the upgrade would "enable the aircraft to continue to be used safely and effectively over the next decade."
The great majority of the structural refurbishment work will be carried out at RAAF Base Williamtown. The work will be led by the Hornet Industry Coalition, represented by Boeing Australia and BAE Systems. Since the release of the Defence 2000 White Paper, the Government has approved funding of around $1.6 billion to upgrade the Hornets and $200 million to provide the aircraft with more effective weapons and improved situational awareness.
The HACTS program will provide high fidelity F/A-18 simulators, modern instructional systems and an advanced, open networking infrastructure that will support both individual and team training. This modern training system will be a major evolutionary leap forward in the RAAF's F/A-18 training realism and readiness through the incorporation of new weapons and systems being acquired for the aircraft, and will accurately mirror theatre-specific readiness training.
The system will include at least three high fidelity, Link-built F/A-18 Tactical Operational Flight Trainers that can be networked to form an interoperable, synthetic combat environment. There is also the potential to link the F/A-18 simulators to other aircraft simulators, giving RAAF fighter pilots the opportunity to interact with other crews such as the Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft.
"The Hornet fleet is the mainstay of Australia's air defence capability," Senator Hill said. "The Government has also committed to enhancing the aircraft's already potent strike capability, to ensure that no gap will arise between the retirement of the F-111 and the arrival of the Joint Strike Fighter.
"The aircraft has proved its worth in operations over Iraq as well as providing a significant regional deterrent. These projects will ensure our fighter pilots continue to have state of the art technology and combat winning training, as well as assuring the integrity of the airframe well into the future."
The HACTS is being procured under Phase 2 of the RAAF's Hornet Upgrade program and will support the entire RAAF F/A-18 training continuum.