HMAS Sydney departs FBE for Navy’s 2nd 2025 Regional Presence Deployment
HMAS Sydney departs FBE for 2025 RPD/2 - photo by CPOIS Helen Frank HMAS Sydney departs FBE for 2025 RPD/2 - photo by CPOIS Helen Frank
Month: March 2025
MK48 torpedo stocks to be increased
DEFENCE CONNECT: Government commits $200m to expand Collins torpedo stocks – 21 March 2025 The government has announced a major enhancement to the Royal Australian Navy’s submarine capabilities, committing $200 million to acquire additional MK-48 heavyweight torpedoes from the United States. The acquisition will significantly strengthen both the defensive and offensive capabilities of Australia’s Collins […]
New investment in Naval Communications Station Harold E Hold
Department of Defence news : New lease of life for long-range submarine array – 18 March 2025 – Work is under way to overhaul a kilometres-wide and 300-metre-tall transmitter array in the remote West Australian town of Exmouth. The Naval Communication Station Harold E Holt is a US-Australian very-low-frequency transmitting station capable of sending messages to submarines […]
Scope of Collins Class life extension in question
The AUSTRALIAN – Ben Packham : A $5bn plan to extend the lives of the navy’s Collins-class submarines is in disarray as the government-owned shipbuilder ASC warns it won’t be ready to fully upgrade the first boat, raising the prospect of a capability gap before arrival of the nation’s nuclear-powered subs. The Australian can reveal […]
New electronic support / countermeasures for six RAN ships
DEFENCE CONNECT: Rheinmetall Defence Australia has kicked off local assembly of the first Multi Ammunition Softkill System (MASS) shipsets, destined for installation on Royal Australian Navy vessels. This off-board countermeasure system is engineered to defeat incoming missile and asymmetric threats by generating decoy targets, thereby misdirecting hostile projectiles away from high-value assets. [by Ed. this is the […]
VALE – Commander Peter Poland OAM RN (Retd)
Dear members, It is with great sadness that I advise the passing of NOA member Commander Peter Poland OAM RN Retd. Peter was a Seaman Officer in the RN who held four commands during his career, three Executive Officer postings and two training positions for Junior Officers and Petty Officers. His last Command was HMS […]
VALE – Rear Admiral Tony Hunt AO RAN Retd
Dear members It is with great sadness that I advise the passing of NOA member Rear Admiral Tony Hunt AO RAN Retd. Our sincere condolences go to his wife Cecile and to his extended family. From the Navy Sea Power website: Anthony “Tony” Hunt was born in Melbourne on 14 July 1938 but spent his […]
Shooting down Houthi drones is expensive
Task & Purpose magazine : The U.S. Navy has used more missiles for air defense since combat operations in the Red Sea began in October 2023 than the service used in all the years since Operation Desert Storm in the 1990s, said retired Navy Cmdr. Bryan Clark, of the Hudson Institute. Over that 15-month-period, which […]
New frigate decision this year or else . . .
ANI Newsletter: Minister pushes speedy frigate decision : Defence Minister Richard Marles has clashed with one of his top officials over whether the government will delay a critical decision on a new fleet of warships, as the presence of a Chinese flotilla off the coast of Australia focuses attention on the navy’s vulnerabilities, The Sydney […]
Ongoing support for Navy helicopters
DEFENCE CONNECT: Sikorsky Australia, has been awarded a new three-year contract worth AU$313.5 million to continue its long-standing maintenance and sustainment partnership with the Royal Australian Navy to support the MH-60R Romeo Seahawk helicopter fleet. The sustainment contract will create over 75 new jobs in Nowra at Sikorsky Australia’s maintenance and logistics support facility, building on […]