Both Austal and ASC CEOs told the committee that meaningful engagement with the contenders had ended after the RfT’s release on 31 March.

The 12 scholarships, worth $10,000 each per year, will be offered from next year, subject to Luerssen winning the deal to build the Navy’s 12 new offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) under Project Sea 1180.

Navy and Dialog are assessing a proposal to conduct a second phase of testing, which will involve more complex maintenance activities on the AS350BA using the wearable HUD.

Australia has been approved by the US State Department for a $360 million upgrade program for the 24 recently delivered MH-60R Seahawk ‘Romeo’ helicopters nearing full operational capability with the RAN.

The terminal phase capability in the SM-6 is a secondary function of the weapon that is designed primarily for traditional air and cruise missile threats.

Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2017 has departed Sydney to participate in a series of key military exercises throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

Minister Pyne and Naval Group global chairman and CEO Herve Gillou opened the Keswick, Adelaide office yesterday, before signing deals totalling around $1 million.

The commissioning of the guided missile destroyer Hobart in just under a month will mark the revival of a proud tradition and RAN warfighting capability.

The F-5000 is essentially an evolution of the soon to be commissioned Navantia-designed Hobart Class DDG.

The deployability of Army's tanks in an amphibious task force is reliant upon the presence of HMAS Choules.

Although the Integrated Investment Plan (IIP) includes a $4-5 billion provision for upgrades to the AWD combat system between 2017 and 2028, it says nothing about what the upgrades will involve.

Of all the vessels outlined in the continuous shipbuilding plan, the OPVs have received relatively little attention compared to the Future Frigate and Future Submarine. With the build split between Adelaide and WA for political reasons, much of the capability discussion has been lost.

In February this year Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne revealed that a second pass decision on the $35 billion Project Sea 5000 (Future Frigates) would likely occur earlier than the originally anticipated date of 2018.

As the RAN looks forward to trials with an embarked unmanned aerial system (UAS) under operational conditions in the middle of the year, further evaluation of both fixed and rotary wing platforms will continue to inform Project Sea 129 Phase 5, the service’s tactical maritime UAS program for both minor and major surface combatants.

Behind every RAN ship at sea there’s a team of shore-based support specialists who are dedicated to its well-being, none more so than those responsible for the sustainment of Navy’s newest and largest assets.

The RAN’s Mine Counter Measures (MCM) capability, important as it is, often appears to be the poor relation to larger, more visible programs for larger, more visible assets.