The inquiry into the fatal crash of a Taipan helicopter on July 28, 2023, has also examined the pilot’s Helmet Mounted Display (HMD), the performance of which is essential for dangerous night-time operations.
It is easy to overlook the fact F-35s started entering service more than a decade ago. Even though they are still more lethal than any other jets, they will soon receive a huge makeover.
Australia’s Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighters and EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft are set to receive significant combat capability upgrades.
Australia needs to better understand the breadth of our local industrial base and identify our core capability needs in order to defend our country in a time of crisis.
Credible analysis shows that since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the aggressor has lost more than 3000 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) – with that figure increasing daily.
Defence’s Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), last month conducted its Uncrewed Air System Challenge, a trial to equip the ADF with a small and general-purpose drone.
The ADF is planning to field a dozen different long-range weapons, and they need to be able to find their targets.
The ADF is plans on spending up to $27bn on 12 new families of long-range missiles between now and 2034, and investing another $21bn in the means of manufacturing some of them in-country.
Australia’s northern airbases take two steps forward but one step back under the Albanese government’s National Defence Strategy (NDS) and Integrated Investment Program.
The new $11bn project to acquire a fleet of general purpose frigates (GPF) is off to a shaky start with bidders having little idea about what the government wants.
The Albanese government has cancelled the RAN’s Mine Countermeasures and Military Survey project, SEA 1905, a program that would have played a critical role in safeguarding Australia’s sea lanes of communication and ports.
The Defence budget papers for the 2023-24 financial year show for the first time that the approved four-year spend on nuclear-powered attack submarines is $13.6bn. But this does not include the submarines themselves, just some of the preparatory costs.
Nearly 20 years ago I publicly advocated that we start our own Melanesian foreign legion. The NDS has finally made it clear and public that Defence can recruit non-citizens. There’d be no shortage of interest.
As Australia faces challenging strategic environments, now is the time for a collaborative approach to deliver the infrastructure that is critical for military preparedness.
The 2016 Defence White Paper tried to establish a growth path for the ADF to increase personnel numbers from about 60,000 to 80,000 by the year 2040. To date that has been a dismal failure.
At a time of conflict in many places around the world, the need for effective defences against drones, or uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), is of critical importance.
The decades ahead will be characterised by how Australian industry rises to support some of the most ambitious defence and security challenges of our times.
In the race to be the first to fly from Sydney to London in just a couple of hours, Australia might be the winner.
There are two ways to look at the Albanese government’s long-term funding plans set out in its first National Defence Strategy (NDS) and the recent budget documents.
Curtin has built an exceptional reputation for innovation through cutting-edge research.This success is now being extended to address critical national resilience and security needs.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/special-reports/defence/page/3
