Saab Contracted for Advanced Stages of ANZAC Frigate Upgrade

Progress with the Anti-Ship Missile Defence Upgrade of the ANZAC Frigates in Australia reached a new milestone with the signing of continuation funding for Phase 2B of project SEA 1448. The progress funding is for Combat Management System development associated with the installation of an Australian designed phased array radar for HMAS PERTH, the lead ship for the upgrade.

The combat systems upgrade for this evolving ASMD program has been undertaken in two sub-phases.

1. Saab received the initial order for Phase 2A in October 2004, encompassing an upgrade to the Saab 9LV Combat Management System to Mk 3E level including new consoles and integration of the Infrared Search and Track sensor. The current order value for this phase is approximately $125m.
2. Phase 2B includes integration of the CEA Technologies radar (comprising CEAFAR Phased Array Radar and CEAMOUNT Illuminator) and new Navigation Radars.

The ASMD Phase 2B work commenced in June 2005 and interim funding has been provided stepwise to enable design and development to progress through a series of escalating confidence demonstrations. The project has successfully achieved all of the scheduled demonstrations to date, including the “PAR At Sea Demonstration” in November 2008. The detailed design was completed in August 2008.

A Land Based Test Site has been established for the ASMD Phase 2A capabilities at the ANZAC Ship Support Centre in Garden Island in Western Australia. This will be updated with ASMD Phase 2B capabilities in mid 2009 in preparation for land based testing to be completed by December 2009.

This week (14 April 2009) Saab signed a contract with the ANZAC Ship Integrated Materiel Support Program Alliance for the penultimate development funding leading to installation on the lead ship, HMAS PERTH. This will commence in January 2010 after final Government funding approval for the lead ship which is expected in July 2009.

This latest order for ASMD Ph2B increases the Saab order value by $8m to a total value of funding to date of approximately $35m. The ultimate value of ASMD Ph 2B for Saab will be approximately $60m.

In addition, the updated contract signed this week includes the additional funding for a project to implement an improved Operations Room design commensurate with the additional air warfare capabilities of the ship. The design project is funded separately from the main Anti-Ship Missile Defence project. This latest order for the Operations Room Layout project increases Saab’s order value by $3m to a total value of approx $13m.

Pending final Government approval, the remaining ANZAC class frigates are scheduled to be fitted with the technology upgrade once the new capability has been successfully demonstrated in the initial ship trials.

The Anti-Ship Missile Defence project will install missile defence systems needed to defeat 21st century threats befitting the ship’s regular deployments to Middle East and other operational areas as the backbone of Australia's maritime surface combatant force.

Since this work has been continuing for many years already there will not be any related new engineering positions arising at Saab's Adelaide facilities.

20 April 2009