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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
On 1st March 2025, the memorial in Perth Western Australia to commemorate the loss of HMAS Perth (I) in the Battle of the Sunda Strait, together with USS Houston, was formally opened. It acknowledges those of the ship’s company who perished during the battle, those who survived and attempted to avoid capture, those who were […]
Defence Australia: LSIS Abdus Chowdhury Former Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Donald Chalmers (retd.) returned to HMAS Kuttabul after nearly a decade, reliving his time in the senior service. Welcomed by Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Christopher Smith, Vice Admiral Chalmers toured Kuttabul Wharf and the vessels he had previously served on, including HMA Ships […]
Newly qualified officers of the watch, Lieutenant Mollie Murton and Sub-Lieutenant James Lara, have achieved a significant career milestone by completing advanced Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) training with the United States Navy (USN). The eight-week program was undertaken during HMAS Brisbane’s recent five-month deployment at US Naval Base San Diego and gave the officers hands-on experience […]
