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The Commonwealth government’s $266 million public works program to support the Army’s future integrated air and missile defence system is set to come under the microscope.
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The parliamentary standing committee on public works has confirmed it will scrutinise a Defence proposal to invest over $266 million in public works supporting the LAND 19 Phase 7B program, which aims to deliver an Army-operated component of the Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defence (JIAMD) capability.
The hearing forms part of a broader assessment of the government’s commitment to develop facilities at RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia.
The inquiry involves the examination of the need, scope, function and cost effectiveness of the proposed operational support and training facilities.
Committee members will also assess whether the works would deliver bespoke facilities and infrastructure, enabling Army’s 16th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery to raise, train and sustain new defence capability acquired under the LAND 19 Phase 7B Short Range Ground Based Air Defence project.
The Assistant Minister to the Minister for the Public Service, Ben Morton, first requested an inquiry into the program in August.
The committee called on interested stakeholders to lodge submissions by 7 October 2021.
The LAND 19 Phase 7B project is set to replace the current Short Range Air Defence (SHORAD) capability as the Army's principal air defence system.
The capability is to be designed to operate as a subset of the broader JIAMD capability, while also supporting the Joint Battle Management System under AIR 6500.
Components acquired under the LAND 19 Phase 7B project include radars, missile launchers and command and control systems.
Raytheon Technologies was selected as the prime contractor, and is expected to deliver the Raytheon-Kongsberg developed National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS).
In September, Kongsberg Defense Australia advanced its contribution to the program, passing factory acceptance tests of the first two Fire Distribution Centres (FDC1 and FDC2) for the NASAMS.
The FDC is set to serve as the air defence command, control, communications and computing (C4) system, designed to manage engagement operations through centralised control of NASAMS sensors, launchers, missiles, and communication systems.
The FDC is billed as the most advanced and integrated C4 system delivered to Army, enabling integrated joint GBAD and fires activities.
The distribution centre was assembled at Raytheon Australia’s Centre for Joint Integration in Adelaide, with Kongsberg Defence Australia’s NASAMS Production Team integrating and testing the capability.
[Related: Kongsberg hits LAND 19 Phase 7B milestone]
