Lockheed Martin Combat or Compat-ible Global Systems?

Interesting to note a French company won the contract.   Is it defence Australia requires or how to develop peace in this region. From a peace perspective imagine if monies were spent to bring people out of poverty, to expand education and global understanding.  Values based education is what catalyses within people a sense of shared purpose.  As our world continues to globalise the imperative is knowing our neighbours and building peace through shared understanding and mutual respect.  Does enhancing our military protect us or build tensions in the region.  I recall Julia Gillard, former PM speaking of a Asian century, the rhetoric has disappeared from the political narrative and tension build globally.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-25/lockheed-martin-signs-700-million-contract-for-subs-weapons/9360216

Lockheed Martin signs $700 million contract to design combat system for future submarines

Updated

A $700 million contract to design the weapons system for the Navy’s fleet of 12 new submarines will create 200 jobs mostly in SA, the Federal Government says.

The Australian arm of defence giant Lockheed Martin was awarded the work in 2016, after it was preferred to US rival Raytheon.

That came months after French company DCNS won the long-anticipated $50 billion future submarines contract to build the new vessels, which will replace the Navy’s ageing Collins Class fleet.

The Federal Government said the latest contract with Lockheed Martin Australia sets out the terms of the project, including the $700 million price tag.

Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne said Lockheed Martin’s involvement would integrate torpedo capacity into the new submarine model, “once that starts being built in 2022”.

He said the subs would be armed with “very potent, lethal and effective weaponry built around the Mark 48 torpedo and of course anti-submarine warfare”.

“Today marks a further step forward in our partnership with Lockheed Martin Australia in delivering a fleet of regionally superior submarines to Australia,” Mr Pyne said.

“This contract will cover work to 2022, including the design of the combat system and procurement activities to select subsystem and component suppliers.”

Mr Pyne said at least 60 per cent of the build would be carried out locally — a figure significantly less than the 90 per cent initially flagged by DCNS.

He said Lockheed Martin had spent months working with the Defence Department on the “design and mobilisation” of the combat system.

 

Mr Pyne said the signing of the contract marked the end of the combat system design phase.

“It’s a substantial amount of money and that will trickle down … to subcontractors and suppliers across Australia as well as to Lockheed Martin,” he said.

“It’s 200 jobs at Lockheed Martin Australia alone — about 195 of those here in Adelaide and five of those in Canberra as part of the management.”

Lockheed Martin Australia chief executive Vince Di Pietro said those jobs would be created “by the end of this year”.

In recent weeks, the future submarines program has been hit by allegations of fraud, as well as claims of cost blowouts and delays.

But Mr Pyne insisted the program “remains on time and on budget”.

As part of the submarine replacement program, the French Suffren — or Barracuda — will be modified to replace its nuclear propulsion with conventional diesel electric power.

At the time DCNS was awarded the contract, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull stressed the submarines would be built in Adelaide and the project would create 2,800 Australian jobs.

In June, DCNS also appeared to back away from its commitment to complete 90 per cent of the submarine build in Australia, telling a Senate committee it did not plan to directly involve Adelaide-based ASC in construction.

Topics: navy, defence-industry, defence-forces, defence-and-national-security, defence-and-aerospace-industries, federal—state-issues, adelaide-5000, sa, osborne-5017, australia

Mohandas Gandhi

“Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion.”

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