Contenders jostle for Australian land-based maritime strike requirement

Last year’s Defence Strategic Review focused heavily on more effectively operating in the littorals, especially to protect the archipelagic area north of Australia. The Integrated Investment Program published on 17 April delineated this requirement by saying, “An additional long-range fires regiment will further expand army’s strike capabilities, strengthening its ability to deliver persistent land-based maritime strike.”

Originally known as Project Land 4100 Phase 2, this requirement was renamed Project Land 8113 Phase 2 to align with the Phase 1 purchase of 42 HIMARS. Both capabilities will be operated by the Australian Army’s 10th Brigade based in Adelaide.

John Fry, Managing Director of Kongsberg Defence Australia, told Naval News at the Land Forces 2024 exhibition, held in Melbourne from 11-13 September, “There has been no decision on what that second regiment will be, but we genuinely believe the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) Coastal Defence System (CDS), with a launcher like StrikeMaster, could be a great candidate for that requirement.”

The StrikeMaster, a cooperative effort by Kongsberg Defence Australia and Thales Australia, comprises a Bushmaster flatbed 4×4 protected mobility vehicle carrying twin NSMs. The concept debuted at Land Forces 2022, and the two companies again exhibited a StrikeMaster prototype at this year’s show.

The StrikeMaster that was on display is not fully operational, since it does not have relevant electronics installed. “It’s essentially the same configuration what the US Marine Corps are actually building now under their NMESIS programme,” Fry said, referring to the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System. In fact, the USMC is poised to become the largest global user of the NSM.

The NMESIS is carried by a JLTV and, because that vehicle is a little small for the role, the cab had to be removed and it was transformed into an unmanned vehicle. However, Fry pointed out, “We believe that the StrikeMaster is a far better vehicle configuration solution for our army, because we can actually drive it long distances and move it around north Australia,” for example.

Fry said integration onto the Bushmaster is pretty basic. The packaging of electronics has already been done for the USMC, the missiles are identical to those the Royal Australian Navy is installing on its frigates and destroyers, and the weapon sled is part of the same launch frame used on ships.

“So from our perspective, we’re saying to army, and I suppose the government, that if you want to get after a land-based maritime strike capability quite quickly, this system, we can do it all here in Australia. It’s a fielded system and we can get moving on it quickly.”

John Fry, Managing Director of Kongsberg Defence Australia

The CDS has three parts: the fire control centre (FCC), the NSM weapons and the launcher. Indeed, all three elements can be built in Australia. The FCC uses the same physical architecture as the NASAMS air defence fire distribution centre, for which Kongsberg Defence Australia has completed deliveries to the Australian Army.

Two configurations of launcher are available – quad or twin packs. The NMESIS and StrikeMaster both carry twin packs, whereas the Polish Navy uses a quad pack mounted on a truck chassis. Australia has the same option by using an MAN HX77 8×8 truck, should it so desire.

Illustrating how Kongsberg Defence Australia has the capability and responsiveness to meet Australian needs, Fry said his company is already filling an export order for an unnamed European customer for CDS FCCs. This contract for command-and-control consoles was announced on 25 June. Asked why the European parent company turned to Australia, Fry responded, “The company is looking to diversify and strengthen its supply chain, but the other part is that we’re actually quite competitive in terms of price and schedule.”

Fry said it is “difficult to know” what Australia’s timeframe is for Land 8113 Phase 2, as no tender has been released. “This is something that we could do immediately and, from our perspective – we keep talking about this ten-year warning time, and the fact we’re now several years into it – putting NSM onto vehicles is a way that we can increase our strike options very rapidly.”

This Kongsberg-Thales solution is not the only contender, for Lockheed Martin Australia believes its Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), coupled with M142 HIMARS launchers, is ideal for Land 8113 Phase 2 too.

The Australian Army has ordered 42 HIMARS launchers, with the first batch due ahead of schedule in Q1 of 2025. Australia has already indicated it will buy PrSMs, with this year’s budget document stating, “This project will deliver army’s first long-range fires regiment, providing HIMARS armed with Precision Strike Missile and Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System munitions. The capability will enhance land and maritime strike and strengthen army’s ability to prevent an adversary’s forces from entering an operational area.”

Wayne Harrison, International Business Development Principal at Lockheed Martin, said the HIMARS and its range of rockets/missiles gives Australia and the USA true interoperability and interchangeability.

Harrison said government-to-government negotiations are ongoing between Canberra and Washington DC. “In 2023 we know that the two governments signed the RDT&E PrSM MoU for research and development, testing and evaluation of PrSM. So the takeaway there is that Australia is a co-developer of PrSM … The next step is an MoU called the production, sustainment and future development MoU; that is in negotiations right now. Originally, that MoU was supposed to just cover Increments 1 and 2, but in speaking with our US government counterparts yesterday, it has hooks in it to talk to future increments, Increments 3 and 4.”

“We believe that there’ll be avenues to co-production for Australia, as negotiated by Australia and where they want to go,” the Lockheed Martin executive explained. “What do they want to do? They may want to build the rocket motor, they may want to build the tail fin, they may want to build the front end, or they may want to build the whole thing. We don’t know, because that MoU is not signed…”

Harrison said PrSM Increment 2 meets Australia’s maritime strike requirement. Increment 1 has a 400+km range for point-to-point targets, whilst Increment 2 adds a smarter seeker to hit moving targets on land or sea. Increment 3 is still in the laboratory as the US Army defines its requirements; it features submunitions serving different mission sets such as anti-armour, hardened targets, ISR, decoys, jammers and listening devices. Increment 4 will increase the PrSM’s range to 1,000km.

“We believe PrSM Increment 2 will be able to interdict the sea lanes at ranges of 400+ kilometres, especially if you ut this thing in a C-130 and you’re able to move it around the archipelagos where most likely the Australian Defence Force will be engaged. The enemy doesn’t really know where these launchers are, because there are numerous C-130-capable airfields. You’ve got two PrSMs in there that can interdict a ship, and we believe that will meet the land-based, maritime strike mission set.”

Lockheed Martin representative

Another company representative pointed out that the PrSM’s trajectory – in terms of flying high, fast and then diving – is a very complicated problem set for ships to solve. Coupled with its range, “it’s a compelling option”.

Harrison highlighted the legs of the PrSm, which exceeds the NSM’s listed range of 185+km.“I do know that the one deficiency NSM brings is range,” he pointed out, which makes him believe PrSM could be complementary to the NSM.

The post Contenders jostle for Australian land-based maritime strike requirement appeared first on Naval News.