Global defense companies HII and Babcock have launched a joint venture called H&B Defence to help fast-track the development of a skilled Australian workforce for Canberra’s nuclear submarine project under the AUKUS military alliance. The company will seek to mold an Australian submarine industry sector and position the country in nuclear sub operations, according to...
Australia-based global shipbuilder Austal has announced the completion of seaworthiness tests of a remotely and autonomously operated vessel in collaboration with the Royal Australian Navy’s Warfare Innovation Navy branch. Other partners in the project, funded by the Australian government, include Greenroom Robotics and Trusted Autonomous Systems. The project, dubbed the Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial, utilized...
Anduril Australia will deliver a prototype of the Ghost Shark underwater drone to the Royal Australian Navy. Alongside industry partners, Anduril is building the first of three unmanned undersea vehicles co-developed by the Australian Department of Defence under an $89.7 million contract. Shane Arnott, engineering senior vice president at Anduril Industries, noted that up to...
The U.S. Navy has partnered with the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force to test a ballistic missile defense system in the Pacific. On March 28, the armed forces intercepted an advanced medium-range ballistic missile type 3 configuration 2 using the Standard Missile-6 Dual II as part of the Missile Defense Agency’s Flight Test Aegis Weapon System...
Mine warfare units from the United States, Australia and New Zealand participated in Exercise Dugong 24, which tested their capabilities to neutralize sea mines. The training ran from March 4 to 22 and involved integration, training and tactical stages, with the latter phase tasking the participants to conduct mine countermeasures and explosive ordnance disposal operations....
The Royal Australian Navy’s planned buildup in response to China’s increasing threat has already drawn bids from four shipbuilders, Breaking Defense reported. The pitches came following the April release of the Australian Defence Strategic Review, which lined up a naval strategy of increasing the number of smaller surface vessels in RAN’s fleet. The four...
Thales has begun designing a Maritime Autonomy and Small-Medium Enterprise Collaboration Precinct that would support the Royal Australian Navy’s Mine Countermeasures and Military Survey Capability SEA1905-1 program. The company estimates that the precinct, set to be built at its Carrington site in Newcastle, New South Wales, would inject $25.6 million into the Hunter economy within its...
The Advance Verification Team of the AUKUS trilateral security alliance of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States has completed a two-week tour of the British Royal Navy’s Faslane, Scotland, nuclear submarine base to support Australian nuclear submarine maintenance capability buildup. According to the UK government, the AVT’s Faslane familiarization followed a similar visit...
The Royal Australian Navy has received the sixth Evolved Cape-class patrol boat out of the eight vessels it ordered from Austal Ltd, the shipbuilder announced on Friday. Named ADV Cape Pillar, the watercraft was the third Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boat turned over to the Australian Navy in 2023. According to Austal CEO Paddy Gregg, the...
L3Harris Technologies will provide an undersea asset tracking field to the Royal Australian Navy under a $210.29 million contract from Defence Australia. The company said work on the contract, which falls under the third phase of the SEA1350 Maritime Underwater Tracking Ranges program, includes delivering undersea warfare capabilities to help Australian Defence Force assets better...
