DID has quite a few readers in Australia’s defence department and related organizations. They’re looking for information, and DID’s readers may be able to help them out and share (cleared) knowledge with an ally – possibly helping their own companies in the process. Here’s the request:
“The Australian Department of Defence has recently initiated Phase 2 of Project LAND 146 – Combat Identification for Land Forces in response to an Australian Government priority to provide a combat identification (CID) capability for Australian Land forces… To gain a better understanding of the technology that will form the basis of this capability, the Defence Department is conducting a market technology survey in which technology suppliers and agents are asked to provide a range of technical, human systems integration, operational employment, logistics and cost information about Terminal Air Controller (TAC)-related products and technologies.”
They are looking for technologies that would serve to provide a general CID capability suitable for use in the following roles:
* Air-to-surface (to identify armoured and soft-skinned vehicles and dismounted troops to fixed and rotary-wing aircraft)
* Surface-to-surface (to identify all combinations of dismounted troops and vehicles, including coastal and amphibious small watercraft, to each other).
* Also within the scope of the current project phase is the provision of an improved capability for ground-based Terminal Air Controllers (TAC) to direct Close Air Support (CAS) missions.
These developments come in the context of growing covergence between Australian and US TAC/FAC standards, and greater attention to the role generally within the Australian forces. StrategyPage notes that a standardisation team from the US Joint Air-Ground Operations Group (JAGOG) at Nellis Air Force Base, NV (formerly known as AGOS, for Air-Ground Operations School), is expected to go to Australia in March 2006 to observe and hopefully ratify the Australian national tactical air-controller courses and qualifications as US-recognised qualifications.
This will be the culmination of a training capability expansion initiated in 2001, when the number of Australian Defence Force (ADF) positions in this area was raised from 20-30 to more than 100.
Project L146 is defined in the Australian Defence Capability Plan (DCP) and run through Defence Capability Defence Group (CDG) and Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO).
There are two separate market surveys under L146, which describe the project, the survey process and the information requested from suppliers and agents. One is the electronic Combat ID (CID) survey – and this Aerospace Concepts Pty Ltd. presentation may help to give you even more of an idea re: where they’re starting from and what they’re looking for and at in the Combat ID field [PDF format].
The other solicitation is the Terminal Air Controller (TAC) survey [PDF format].
The survey process is planned for completion by the end of April 2006, with responses preferred by the end of February 2006.
The surveys note that that “information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence, and a proforma non-disclosure agreement is provided with the attached brief for if required.” The survey management firm is:
PROJECT LAND 146-2 SURVEY
Aerospace Concepts Pty Ltd
17 Yallourn St
PO Box 371
Fyshwick ACT 2609
AUSTRALIA
T: +61 2 6239 4288
F: +61 2 6280 6802
The Commonwealth point-of-contact for all public relations and policy matters (excepting protection of proprietary information) is:
SQNLDR Jim Godfrey
Staff Officer Air
Russell R1-3-A051
Department of Defence Canberra ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA
jim.godfrey, over at defence.gov.au