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Torpedo decisions for RAN helicopters still in the air
The Australian Department of Defence says long awaited decisions on whether it will proceed with integration on the Eurotorp MU90 MK II lightweight torpedo onto Royal Australian Navy helicopters are not expected to be resolved in the near term.
The original MU90 torpedo acquisition plan had proposed fitting the weapon to the RAN's Sikorsky S-70 Sea Hawk helicopters as part of a midlife upgrade project for those aircraft.
Current RAN rotary wing aviation plans are predicated on the replacement of the Sea Hawk by a new type. In turn MU90 integration now appears to be largely dependent on whether Australia acquires additional Eurocopter MRH-90 or new build Sikorsky MH-60R/S aircraft.
The head of Australia's Defence Materiel Organisation, Dr Stephen Gumley, says helicopter integration decisions are also likely to be heavily influenced by whether Australia elects to fund integration of the MU90 onto its existing Lockheed Martin AP-3C and planned fleet of Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
"This is where we have still got some work to do with government" he says.
"We have done the [MU90] integration onto the ships, but there are still decisions to be made about integration onto the helicopters and, potentially, the P3s. The P3 is a difficult one because it gets all tied up in what happens with the project that you talked about an hour ago, the P3 to P8 transition. Do you get your investment back? Do you actually need the capability before a new aeroplane comes in? Would the new aeroplane be fitted with the same form of torpedo? All of those sorts of questions have to be asked, so there is quite a bit of work to be done there over the next 12 months on determining a way forward."
The US navy, which will operate the world's largest fleet of P8 aircraft, plans to equip that aircraft with the Raytheon Mk54 lightweight torpedo. Gumley says that move raises more questions for Australia, including whether it should operate two lightweight torpedo types.
"It is typically, just a very rough rule of thumb, $100 million to put an integrated torpedo onto an airframe. It is a very expensive thing to do. Do you do that or is it cheaper to actually run a second inventory line of torpedos and have two types of torpedo in your infantry? There is a series of business calculations that have to be made about that, and it is not a trivial matter."
That scenario could see the Raytheon weapon being carried by both fixed and rotary wing aircraft types and the MU90 restricted to warships.
However, the Eurocopter NF-90 helicopter is already configured to operate the MU-90 with integration being carried out on behalf of several operators of that type, including the French navy. That work is easily ported to Australia's MRH-90 configuration aircraft says Eurocopter with the RAN already preparing to receive that aircraft type as a replacement for its ageing Westland Mk50a Seakings.
Likewise the Mk 54 torpedo is already fully integrated into the MH-60S as a part of its overall mission systems.
Australia selected the MU90 over the Mk54 in an open competition with source selection occurring in 1999. Acquisition contracts were signed in December 2002. The decision on helicopter integration has been pending since 2004 with original plans including fielding on RAN's Sea Hawks and the now cancelled Kaman SH-2G(A) Super Seasprite helicopters.
By Peter La Franchi, Canberra
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