Landing Helicopter Dock Sustainment Support

In June 2010 the Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) Systems Program Office appointed QinetiQ Australia as its Strategic Partner for LHD Asset Management Model and Sustainment. QinetiQ Australia’s support enabled the LHDSPO to successfully develop an innovative sustainment architecture, deliver an RFT on schedule, achieve maximum participation in the industry engagement phase and effectively evaluate the tender.

High Powered Phased Array Radar

Australia is home to one of few companies in the world producing element level and digital active Phased Array Radars for naval vessels. QinetiQ Australia worked with Defence to develop a complex technology development contracting mechanism to enable further research and development of a High Power Phased Array Radar to equip the Royal Australian Navy’s ANZAC Class and Future Frigates (Project SEA 5000) with stronger protection against evolving threats.

COLLINS Class Sustainment Program

We assisted Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group with transforming the performance structure of the COLLINS Class submarine support contracts held mostly by the Australian Submarine Corporation. We developed a Performance Management Framework that clearly and fairly sets out performance expectations so that all parties are motivated to achieve the desired capability and availability outcomes.

COLLINS Class Replacement Combat System

SEA 1439 Phase 4A is acquiring a Replacement Combat System (RCS) and associated support infrastructure for the COLLINS Class Submarine. As a result of our consultants’ support the Project Office achieved Integrated Logistics Support certification and developed supply support, in-service support, supportability testing and transition plans for the CS05 baseline of the RCS.

HMAS Success and Sirius Replacement Project

SEA 1654 Phase 3 seeks to replace the HMAS Success and Sirius with a single class of modern combat support ships. Our team has provided life cycle and through life support cost analysis advice including development of Request for Tender documentation, Integrated Logistics Support to the tender evaluation, technical certification and training needs analysis to assist the project office select the best value for money combat support ship.

Coles Review Phase 2 Findings

Our people substantiated and corroborated the concerns raised about the COLLINS Class submarines’ asset management and supply chain during Phase 2 of the Coles Review. Our work helped Coles develop a Final Report with recommendations that have solved many of the sustainment and management issues that limited the submarines availability throughout the 1990s.

Navy Guided Weapons Program

QinetiQ Australia partnered with the Navy Guided Weapons Systems Program Office to deliver acquisition and sustainment plans for the introduction into service of several new guided weapons including the Harpoon Weapon System Joint Common Test Set (JCTS) and the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM). Using these plans, the Royal Australian Navy will be able to sustain the JCTS and ESSM throughout their service life.

MK48 Heavyweight Torpedo

Australia and the United States initiated a joint development program to upgrade the Mk 48 heavyweight torpedo capability, so it could be used by both nations. QinetiQ Australia conducted the weapons design engineering certification for the torpedo, including everything from certification planning to trials support, delivering a smooth and cost-effective introduction into service.

Undersea Ordnance Recovery

The Royal Australian Navy historically had a limited ability to recover ordnance from the ocean floor whether as part of a mine clearing activity or an environmental exercise to remove unexploded weapons. Through our bespoke design and manufacture capability at the Defence Science and Technology Group we manufactured a device to work with an existing remote underwater vehicle to perform the required task safely.

Test Plans for Extending Weapon Life

Working with the Royal Australian Navy and Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group, we developed a detailed test plan for the Defence Science and Technology Group to assess the feasibility of extending weapon life. The plan provided clearly defined acceptance criteria and a decision tree driven by test results. Our work has ensured the safety of the Royal Australian Navy’s shipborne weapons well into the next decade.

Landing Helicopter Dock sustainment and contracting architecture

QinetiQ Australia was engaged by Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) System Program Office to facilitate the development of the LHD Sustainment and Contracting architecture and to develop the Performance Management Framework. Our experience in developing and utilising sustainment architecture to support stakeholder engagement enabled us to deliver a solution that met the needs of the Commonwealth within the current organisation structures.

COLLINS Class Submarine Program

Our people provided Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) to Phase 3 - Platform System Improvements of the COLLINS Class Submarine program. Phase 3 of Project SEA 1439 includes approximately 24 individual tasks at various stages of implementation. The work done by QinetiQ Australia in support of Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group on this program has seen the development and adoption of several key processes critical to ongoing ILS progress.

Engineering Support to AIR9000 (Weapons)

QinetiQ Australia was contracted by the Navy Guided Weapons Branch to provide specialist guided weapons engineering support to the AIR9000 (Weapons) project. We supported the project office in developing critical engineering certification and integrated logistic support artefacts for the Mk 54 lightweight torpedo and AGM-114N-1 Hellfire weapon systems. Our deep technical knowledge assisted Defence in ultimately approving both of these complex weapons to enter service as part of the overall Seahawk Romeo program leading to Initial Operating Capability for this critical naval capability.

Project Sea 1439 Ph 4A RCS

We provided Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) Services for the Replacement Combat System under Project Sea 1439 Ph 4A. QinetiQ Australia worked closely with the project team and stakeholders to review the project logistics materiel and define the pathway to successful ILS certification. We delivered comprehensive reports identifying risks and proposed mitigation strategies to achieve desired outcomes and results.

Hydrographic Systems Program Office

QinetiQ Australia’s consultants lead the review and amendment of the Hydrographic Systems Program Office (HSPO) materiel logistics plans and procedures. The amended ILS processes and procedures assisted the HSPO in meeting its Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) deliverable requirements and therefore allowed the Hydrographic ships’ mission system upgrade to meet its schedule.

Integrated Engineering Services

QinetiQ Australia operates an integrated engineering services facility at the Defence Science and Technology Group (DST Group) facility in Fishermans Bend, Melbourne, specialising in bespoke solutions to difficult engineering problems and one-off prototypes. We recently designed a 240 kN capacity rising displacement test rig used to measure the stress-corrosion-cracking threshold of steel in a marine environment for large specimens up to 80 kN. QinetiQ Australia also works on various classified projects in support of DST Group and other Defence organisations.

Torpedo catcher design

The Royal Australian Navy recovers practice torpedoes fired during training exercises. Previous methods of recovery involved an increased risk of damaging the torpedo during the recovery process from a stationary vessel while invariably pitching and rolling. Repairing any damage was costly and reduced the availability of practice weapons. QinetiQ Australia’s team at Fishermans Bend designed a ‘catcher’ to capture torpedoes from the stationary vessel. The ‘catcher’ enabled the weapon to be towed into calmer waters before recovery onto the vessel, greatly reducing the risk of any damage occurring.

Torpedo target

In support of Royal Australian Navy live fire demonstrations, and in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Group, QinetiQ Australia designed and built a torpedo target. This involved a complex requirements definition phase and close collaboration with multiple agencies including addressing operational requirements to deploy the target from a surface vessel. We also supported the trial that resulted in a successful live fire demonstration.

Support to the Australian Maritime College

QinetiQ Australia has supported both the Defence Science and Technology Group and the Australian Maritime College in the development, installation and commissioning of their Cavitation Tunnel facilities in Launceston. A major aspect was the cavitation tunnel control system, which manages water flow, pressure, temperature and purity. Our hardware and software solution has enabled this important Australian capability to support important programs such as the Australian future submarine development.

Stability Management Program

QinetiQ Australia has been involved with provision of stability advice to the Hydrographic Ship Systems Program Office. Stability of a vessel is a critical safety characteristic, failure of which may result in loss of life and/or a vessel. Our Stability Management Program offers a structure and tools tailored to needs to maintain a low risk of stability failure. The program is governed by a plan and the process is further detailed in work instructions, which are supported by various live documents and calculation tools.

Structural Integrity Assessment

Structural integrity assessments involve collecting, evaluating and applying usage and maintenance data to assure the safety and capability of vessels against long-term operational wear. QinetiQ Australia is a long standing partner of the Directorate General Technical Airworthiness and an Authorised Engineering Organisation for aerostructures. Many of the structural integrity techniques we use in the aerospace domain are directly applicable to and transferrable to the maritime environment. We have conducted initial trials on lower value naval platforms and our structured approach can be applied effectively to higher value assets in naval fleets, enabling the development of targeted and informed maintenance programs.

Paramarine® Advanced Marine Design Software

Paramarine® is the world’s only fully integrated naval architecture design and analysis product that can handle the complexities of both ship and submarine design. It can be used to examine the implications of capabilities in the early needs analysis phases through to final concept designs with the full range of statistical data required to make informed decisions prior to proceeding to detailed or production designs. It has been used by Australian Submarine Corporation since 2005 and is now being used to train the next-generation of naval architects at the Australian Maritime College.

SURVIVE Naval Platform Survivability Software

SURVIVE is our naval platform survivability tool. It was developed mainly for the assessment of warships and submarines, but is just as applicable to civil shipping, which is increasingly experiencing the terrorist threat. Originally developed from the combination of several different UK vulnerability codes, SURVIVE can model a range of missile, bomb and mine attacks and simulate the blast and fragmentation effects on the ship. SURVIVE determines the resultant damage on structure, equipment and systems as well as calculating flooding extents. Numerical and visual results are output in user-friendly formats.