Defence industry will act as a ‘steward’ for the RAN's Hobart class destroyers under its new approach to sustainment.
Tenders opened today for a Capability Life Cycle Manager, which will see industry support and sustain the destroyers through their lifespan.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price encouraged Australian industry to become part of an 'innovative new model' sustaining Navy’s ships.
“This model builds on the success of our continuous naval shipbuilding initiative and has been designed to ensure we can continue to deliver complex naval capability at sea that is reliable and fit-for-purpose,” Minister Price said. “It includes performing asset management for the capability and supporting the upgrade of their combat management system.
The government will invest up to $5.1 billion for the upgrades at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia as part of a major expansion of Australia’s naval capabilities announced on 16 September 2021.
The destroyers will be the first major platform to have a Capability Life Cycle Manager, a further step in the realisation of the Future Maritime Sustainment Model under Plan Galileo - covered by Editor Nigel Pittaway in the September edition of ADM.
It follows the appointment of Raytheon as the Capability Life Cycle Manager for the new Arafura class offshore patrol vessels in December 2020.
Plan Galileo is transitioning sustainment of the surface fleet from current methodology, which supports each class of ship individually and often regards sustainment as itself the primary objective, to an integrated approach with capability as the ultimate goal.
The work is being undertaken by CASG’s Maritime Systems Division, currently led by Rear Admiral Wendy Malcolm, and also takes into account the government’s National Naval Shipbuilding Plan and Navy’s current Plans Pelorus and Mercator, which deal with Navy strategy and the Naval Engineering Strategic Plan respectively.
An Industry Briefing will be held about the Hobart class destroyer Capability Life Cycle Manager on 4 November 2021.
Tenders will need to be received on or before 21 January 2022. Further information is available on AusTender.