Defence, BAE Systems Australia, Saab Australia and Lockheed Martin Australia have signed the first Delivery Tasking Statement of the Combat Systems Integration – Integrated Project Team (CSI-IPT) Collaboration Agreement (CCA).
“By consolidating the unique capabilities and skillsets from across our partner companies, the CSI-IPT will ensure the Continuous Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment enterprise in Australia is ready to support complex warships," CSI-IPT CSI Manager, Geoff Stephens, stated.
As a result, the combat systems on the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Hobart Class guided missile destroyers will be upgraded. The CSI-IPT – created by the Commonwealth of Australia as represented by Defence, BAE Systems Australia, Saab Australia, and Lockheed Martin Australia – was established under the CCA and sees the parties work collaboratively as one team.
“We are proud to partner, through the CSI-IPT, with the Royal Australian Navy and industry to upgrade the Aegis Combat System baseline technology across the Hobart Class surface fleet, a force multiplier across the Indo-Pacific," Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand, Warren McDonald, said.
Through the Delivery Tasking Statement the CSI-IPT will update the Aegis Combat System, introduce Saab’s new Australian Interface (AI), and incorporate the Tomahawk Weapon System on the first of the RAN’s three Hobart Class destroyers.