serb08
01-13-2008, 10:30 PM
AFTER a $1.4 billion "upgrade" the navy's frontline fighting ships cannot defend themselves and are not able to be sent into battle.
For the first time, a navy insider close to the 4000-tonne Adelaide Class Guided Missile Frigates (FFGs) has provided the sorry details of one of the biggest defence scandals in the nation's history.
The whistleblower said sending the 1970s ships to war would be like sending a VK Commodore to race at Bathurst.
And senior officials now admit the 1997 FFG upgrade project was a "debacle" caused by the Howard government's decision to maximise the sale price of Sydney-based contractor Australian Defence Industries when it was sold to French firm Thales.
The project is four years late, includes four ships, not the original six, and they just don't work.
The navy informant said the situation was so bad that sailors were quitting because their ships could not be deployed to the Middle East or any other conflict zone.
Late last year Navy Chief Vice-Admiral Russ Shalders actually refused to accept the first ship in the program, HMAS Sydney, for "operational release" because its war fighting systems did not function properly.
The whistleblower said the ships' anti-missile and anti-torpedo systems could not be integrated and their electronic support measures (the ships eyes and ears for detecting incoming airborne threats) were simply a joke.
"That means they would be going into a war zone virtually blind. The torpedo detection system cannot be integrated."
The ships also are unable to:
LINK their helicopters to war fighting data.
USE long-range chaff, which confuses enemy missiles and takes them away from the ship.
INTEGRATE towed and on-board sonars to detect enemy torpedoes.
The sailor explained what really angered him and his comrades was the gross waste of taxpayer funds when the navy could have bought virtually new and more capable US Navy Kidd-class destroyers in the late-1990s for a bargain price.
Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said the FFG upgrade was "another nightmare" Labor had inherited, and would have to manage as best as it could.
"We are however determined to deliver the level of capability required for our navy to operate safely in various areas around the world," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
The best news out of the project has been the integration of the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile for self-defence, but that is not enough to send them to war.
The total cost of the upgrade is $1.46 billion, or $360 million per ship.
According to government auditors, up to 98 per cent of the money has already been paid to Thales, despite the fact the project is four years late and not one ship is operational.
The officer who inherited what is widely regarded as the worst contract signed by the Commonwealth since the Collins "dud subs" submarines, Commodore Drew McKinnie, said despite all the problems he was confident the project would deliver "significant improvements" to the ships.
"We are already seeing world-leading capability with the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile integrated into the FFGs and overseas navies are interested in these developments," he said.
The head of Major Surface Ship Projects with the Defence Materiel Organisation said he was also seeing "much improved performance" from the radar sensors.
DEFENCE STUFF-UPS:
COLLINS class submarines: more than $1 billion to fix leaks, engines, periscopes.
SUPER Seasprite Navy helicopters: $1 billion spent for no operational aircraft.
PROJECT Bushmaster, light armoured infantry vehicles: $170 million contract for 370 vehicles altered to 299 for $329 million.
JINDALEE Over the Horizon Radar: costs blow out by $500 million, four years late.
"RUST bucket" ships HMAS Manoora and Kanimbla: repairs blow out by $200 million.
MINEHUNTER Inshore: two prototypes built for $100 million but scrapped.
For the first time, a navy insider close to the 4000-tonne Adelaide Class Guided Missile Frigates (FFGs) has provided the sorry details of one of the biggest defence scandals in the nation's history.
The whistleblower said sending the 1970s ships to war would be like sending a VK Commodore to race at Bathurst.
And senior officials now admit the 1997 FFG upgrade project was a "debacle" caused by the Howard government's decision to maximise the sale price of Sydney-based contractor Australian Defence Industries when it was sold to French firm Thales.
The project is four years late, includes four ships, not the original six, and they just don't work.
The navy informant said the situation was so bad that sailors were quitting because their ships could not be deployed to the Middle East or any other conflict zone.
Late last year Navy Chief Vice-Admiral Russ Shalders actually refused to accept the first ship in the program, HMAS Sydney, for "operational release" because its war fighting systems did not function properly.
The whistleblower said the ships' anti-missile and anti-torpedo systems could not be integrated and their electronic support measures (the ships eyes and ears for detecting incoming airborne threats) were simply a joke.
"That means they would be going into a war zone virtually blind. The torpedo detection system cannot be integrated."
The ships also are unable to:
LINK their helicopters to war fighting data.
USE long-range chaff, which confuses enemy missiles and takes them away from the ship.
INTEGRATE towed and on-board sonars to detect enemy torpedoes.
The sailor explained what really angered him and his comrades was the gross waste of taxpayer funds when the navy could have bought virtually new and more capable US Navy Kidd-class destroyers in the late-1990s for a bargain price.
Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said the FFG upgrade was "another nightmare" Labor had inherited, and would have to manage as best as it could.
"We are however determined to deliver the level of capability required for our navy to operate safely in various areas around the world," Mr Fitzgibbon said.
The best news out of the project has been the integration of the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile for self-defence, but that is not enough to send them to war.
The total cost of the upgrade is $1.46 billion, or $360 million per ship.
According to government auditors, up to 98 per cent of the money has already been paid to Thales, despite the fact the project is four years late and not one ship is operational.
The officer who inherited what is widely regarded as the worst contract signed by the Commonwealth since the Collins "dud subs" submarines, Commodore Drew McKinnie, said despite all the problems he was confident the project would deliver "significant improvements" to the ships.
"We are already seeing world-leading capability with the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile integrated into the FFGs and overseas navies are interested in these developments," he said.
The head of Major Surface Ship Projects with the Defence Materiel Organisation said he was also seeing "much improved performance" from the radar sensors.
DEFENCE STUFF-UPS:
COLLINS class submarines: more than $1 billion to fix leaks, engines, periscopes.
SUPER Seasprite Navy helicopters: $1 billion spent for no operational aircraft.
PROJECT Bushmaster, light armoured infantry vehicles: $170 million contract for 370 vehicles altered to 299 for $329 million.
JINDALEE Over the Horizon Radar: costs blow out by $500 million, four years late.
"RUST bucket" ships HMAS Manoora and Kanimbla: repairs blow out by $200 million.
MINEHUNTER Inshore: two prototypes built for $100 million but scrapped.