Defence Update

The current front runners at this stage for the position of CAS are seen as Air Vice Marshal Hans Roser, the present Assistant Chief of the Defence Force – Personnel, and Air Vice Marshal Barry Gration, the Air Commander, Australia. It is of course possible that there may be other contenders by the time the appointment is considered by Senator Ray and Cabinet, probably by late this year, or early next year And until the announcement of General Peter Gration’s further extension, it has been assumed that the next CDF would be either Funnell or Hudson. That now appears to have changed, especially in the case of Admiral Hudson who has held the CNS appointment for five years.

Senator Ray said on June 13 that General Gration had served with distinction as CDF and had overseen major developments in the Australian Defence Force during his term in office. “This development will continue for some time to come,” the Minister said.

“I believe there are great benefits to be gained by General Gration’s continued stewardship,” he said. “I have every confidence that he will continue to head the ADF in an exemplary manner. ”

AVM Roser, who headed the F-18 Hornet tactical fighter project at a crucial time in its acquisition earlier in the 1980s, was briefly the Chief of Air Force Development before he was ‘tapped’ for the difficult post of chief of ADF Personnel late last year. The Personnel area is seen as a required senior posting experience for future military chiefs in Australia. Roser also was the Commander of the Five Power Integrated Air Defence System headquartered at Butterworth, Malaysia.

AVM Barry Gration, younger brother of CDF Peter Gration, was Head of Australian Defence Staff at the embassy in Washington until he returned early this year to take over from AVM Radford as Air Commander. Like the other contenders mentioned, he is highly regarded and has been a top pilot throughout his RAAF career.

Awadi Lets Subcontracts on Esm Update for Raaf’s P-3C Orions

Adelaide-based AWA Defence Industries, the prime contractor to the Department of Defence in the contract to update electronic support measures (ESM) for the RAAF’s P-3C Orion maritime surveillance/anti submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft, has announced a range of subcontracts in the project.

C3 Pty Ltd, a specialist software company and subsidiary to AWA Ltd, has the major subcontract for the software work on the new ECM sub-system, and work is in progress. C3 also is involved in the integration of the new systems. Elta, an Israeli company, will supply some of the hardware for the program.

In a recent release C3 said the new system for the Orions will use the latest microprocessor technology and it would be built specifically for the Australian environment. C3’s General Manager, Mr Dick Magee, said the company was well positioned to carry out the ESM update. “We already provide specialist software support for the RAAF,” he said. “That covers both onboard software, and software used in a ground support facility. We have a team of 25 people at RAAF Base, Edinburgh (home of the two squadrons of P-3Cs), providing software updates and enhancements,” Magee said.

The ECM update involves C3 in systems definition, software engineering and integration. The work will be undertaken at Technology Park, Adelaide, at the Edinburgh base nearby, and at Elta’s facility at Ashdod in Israel.

The Orions, which developed from the old commercial Lockheed Electras, provide a highly reliable and stable weapons system platform which operates at long range. The P-3Cs have central tactical processors which control a range of sensors and detection subsystems. This computer arrangement enables subsystems to be updated throughout the life of the aircraft.

Magee said in the major upgrade of the Orions most of the ‘smart’ new systems would be designed and installed in Australia by various companies.

“That means on-going, in-country support for the RAAF with little dependence on overseas suppliers,” Magee said. “A spinoff will be the sharing of skills and Orion experience between C3 staff already engaged on support work at Edinburgh, and the new team formed for the latest contract. “