ISSUE 488 NEWS | INTELLIGENCE | BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES | EVENTS DEFENCE WEEK PREMIUM EDITION ADM KATHERINE ZIESING IN THIS ISSUE ECLIPS demos rugged ECLIPS demos rugged deployable microgrid 1 Tasmania seeks defence deployable microgrid opportunities in US 3 Final C-27J Spartan Katherine Ziesing | Canberra delivered to RAAF 5 ANAO release FPR Canberra based SME ECLIPS (formerly Sea Box implementation report 7 International) demonstrated their CROSS (con- New tech to mount hyperspectral cameras tainer roll-out solar system) and CROWS (con- on UAVs 9 tainer roll-out warehousing system) last week for ZCG antennas for a range of Defence and industry players. Redwing counter-IED tech 11 Glass ceiling a global An innovative engineering solution that sees a solar problem 13 powered micro grid ready to run in only a few hours Land Forces 2018: with a team of three people, the system can be carried Call for Papers 15 in either a 20 (2,175 watt) or 40 (4,350 watts) foot ISO Forthcoming Events 16 container. Suitable for use in remote areas or military www.australiandefence.com.au | Defence Week Premium 19 APRIL 2018 | ISSUE 488 | 1 ADM’s Defence Week Premium Edition This publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher. DEFENCE WEEK ISSUE 488 NEWS | INTELLIGENCE PREMIUM EDITION BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES | EVENTS applications, the system essentially uses two containers – one for the solar cells that can sit on 10, 20 or 30-degree slopes, and another for the load balancing equipment, where the company has partnered with ABB. What was quickly made clear to those at the demo was the speed and ease of deployment. A small detachment of people, a forklift and a truck saw the roller mounted CROSS on its CROWS set up in minutes. While only one CROSS was on show, the ARENA co-funded development can be daisy chained together to scale up or down as required. ARENA said the $703,468 total project opens up markets not previously available to the renew- ables industry, including defence, disaster recovery, humani- tarian, construction and temporary network augmentation. “ A small detachment While manufactured in China, all the design work was done of people, a in house by ECLIPS, with a quality assurance manager work- ing with two Chinese manufacturers on the factory floor to get forklift and a truck the high quality standards demanded by the SME’s design. saw the roller “CROSS builds upon the work we’ve done with the ADF mounted CROSS in our flatrack business and there are so many uses for this technology in the military and beyond,” ECLIPS managing on its CROWS set director Shaun Moore said. up in minutes.” ADM understands that the company is also in talks with potential customers in the US and UK. ADM KATHERINE ZIESING www.australiandefence.com.au | Defence Week Premium 19 APRIL 2018 | ISSUE 488 | 2 ADM’s Defence Week Premium Edition This publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher. DEFENCE WEEK ISSUE 488 NEWS | INTELLIGENCE PREMIUM EDITION BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES | EVENTS Ambassador to the US Joe Hockey, managing director of Tasmanian company Pivot Maritime International Jeffrey Hawkins, and Tasmanian Minister for Defence Industries Jeremy Rockliff. DPAC TASMANIA Tasmania seeks defence opportunities in US Ewen Levick | Sydney Tasmania’s Jeremy Rockcliff, State Minister for Advanced Manufacturing and Defence Industries, has undertaken a trade mission to the US to seek opportunities for the island’s defence industry. He was joined by the Tasmanian defence advocate RADM (Rtd.) Steve Gilmore and eight local businesses. The group attended the Sea Air Space exposition in Washington DC, which brings together US primes and military chiefs. The visit also included several meetings with senior US Navy officers, including the Undersecretary of the Navy, and defence industry leaders. The trade mission is a follow up to Tasmania’s first defence strategy, Our Fair Share of Defence, which was launched in 2016. It aimed to open up opportuni- ties for Tasmanian businesses and highlight the state’s manufacturing capabili- ties, skills and products, as well as encourage networking and potential future opportunities for local industry. Tasmania is home to around thirty defence companies and institutions, includ- ing the University of Tasmania’s Australian Maritime College (AMC), Elphinstone, CBG Systems, PFG AquaTruck, and Penguin Composites, which together gener- ate $340 million a year through contracts with ADF, as well as the armed forces of NZ, Singapore, the US, and Israel. The state, however, has struggled to gain a significant share of the federal gov- ernment’s defence spending in recent years. The TasPac consortium failed to secure a $600 million contract to build patrol boats in 2015, and the state’s Team Sentinel Land 400 bid lost out the following www.australiandefence.com.au | Defence Week Premium 19 APRIL 2018 | ISSUE 488 | 3 ADM’s Defence Week Premium Edition This publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher. DEFENCE WEEK ISSUE 488 NEWS | INTELLIGENCE PREMIUM EDITION BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES | EVENTS year. The island is estimated to receive less than .03 per cent of federal defence spending despite being home to 2.2 per cent of Australia’s population. Reports last year also suggested that AMC feared it would be undercut by the new Naval Shipbuilding College in Adelaide, although it has recently been announced as a key strategic partner. However, Minister Rockliff told ADM that heading directly to Washington was not intended to send a message to the Australian government regarding Tasmania’s comparative lack of defence investment, but instead aimed to raise Tasmania’s international profile. “This mission recognises that the potential market for “ This mission Tasmania is global when it comes to defence and mari- time products and services. Clearly we have set the objec- recognises that the tive to increase Tasmania’s share of Australian Government potential market for defence spending, but we also want to make sure we capi- talise on the significant international opportunities available.” Tasmania is global One of the ways that the state intends to increase its mari- when it comes time appeal is to leverage its proximity to Antarctica and the to defence and Southern Ocean. This will heighten competition with Christchurch, NZ, which maritime products” is where US support operations for the country’s Antarctic program are based. It is unclear whether the Tasmanian trade mission will be able to lure American Antarctic operations from NZ. There is also the question of whether the US Navy has sufficient strategic inter- est in using Tasmania to increase its presence in the Southern Ocean, given that the area is largely demilitarized under the Antarctic Treaty System. RAN operations south of Tasmania predominantly focus on collecting nauti- cal navigation data and supporting scientific research, and RAAF operations are limited to logistical support using C-17 heavy lift aircraft. Army has occasionally Divers from RAN’s Clearance Diving Team One conduct dive operations alongside the United States Navy. DEFENCE www.australiandefence.com.au | Defence Week Premium 19 APRIL 2018 | ISSUE 488 | 4 ADM’s Defence Week Premium Edition This publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher. DEFENCE WEEK ISSUE 488 NEWS | INTELLIGENCE PREMIUM EDITION BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES | EVENTS deployed geospatial teams to support the Australian Antarctic Division, but activ- ity remains limited. Nevertheless, the island state intends to market its maritime expertise to the world’s largest navy. Minister Rockliff was particularly optimistic about the potential for the US Navy to invest in Tasmania. “I think that there are a few key areas where Tasmanian has a competitive edge. First and most obviously is our maritime expertise, particularly in small support craft such as high speed vessels and landing craft. We are also home to the AMC and have considerable expertise in research and training. Lastly, there is grow- ing capability in Tasmania in terms of ‘smart systems’ such as UAV propulsion, vessel fitouts and safety systems. “I formally invited US Navy ships to visit Tasmania, and in particular, the port at Burnie, to take advantage of our excellent facilities and our hospitality. The opportunities for Tasmanian businesses are virtually limitless, especially when it comes to the US Navy.” Final C-27J Spartan delivered to RAAF Nigel Pittaway | Melbourne The 10th and final Leonardo C-27J Spartan battlefield airlifter was wel- comed at RAAF Base Richmond on Wednesday. The formal ceremony was attended by Minister for Defence Marise Payne and Deputy Chief of Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Gavin Turnbull. The completion of the fleet follows the Initial Operational Capability (IOC) milestone, achieved in December 2016. “We made a very, very strong commitment to building our airlift capability in the 2016 Defence White Paper and in the arrival of the 10th aircraft we celebrate the completion of the C-27J fleet,” Minister Payne said. Members of 2CDO demonstrating an assault landing using a Spartan. ADM EWEN LEVICK www.australiandefence.com.au | Defence Week Premium 19 APRIL 2018 | ISSUE 488 | 5 ADM’s Defence Week Premium Edition This publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher. DEFENCE WEEK ISSUE 488 NEWS | INTELLIGENCE PREMIUM EDITION BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES | EVENTS “This is a very strong representation of Australia’s airpower capability and com- prehensive fleet of air mobility platforms.” Minister Payne added that the Spartan can access over 1,900 airfields in Australia, compared with around 500 for the RAAF’s Lockheed C-130J Hercules fleet. “It makes a real difference to what we are able to do,” she said.