Missile First for Navy

30 Agustus 2013

An Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) is fired from HMAS Perth at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii as part of the final Operational Acceptance Trial for the Australian designed Phased Array Radar and Combat Management System upgrades to the ANZAC Class Frigate Anti-Ship Missile Defence (ASMD) system. (photo : Aus DoD)

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) have recently completed the final Operational Acceptance Trial for the Australian-designed Phased Array Radar and Combat Management System upgrades to the ANZAC Class frigate Anti-Ship Missile Defence (ASMD) system.

The trial included a number of successful Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) firings from HMAS Perth at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) in Hawaii. During the trials, the ASMD system was challenged by a number of demanding firing scenarios. These included successful missile engagements against multiple sea-skimming targets including, for the first time in the RAN, an engagement by an ESSM against one of the world’s most advanced supersonic targets.

Perth’s Commanding Officer, Captain Lee Goddard, said the firing clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of the upgraded ASMD system.

“The targets were detected by the Australian designed and built CEA Phased Array Radar and the missiles were successfully launched and controlled in flight by the ship’s ASMD systems, resulting in the destruction of the targets,” Captain Goddard said.

“This proves the accuracy and precision of the upgraded systems to guide the weapon in a complex warfighting scenario.”

Perth is the first of eight ANZAC Frigates to enter the ASMD upgrade to improve her weapons systems and sensor arrays.

The Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, said “The ASMD upgrade provides the ANZAC class with a significantly enhanced level of self and local area defence against modern anti-ship missiles. The complexity of the firing scenarios is unsurpassed in the RAN’s history, particularly the successful firings against supersonic targets. The results from this activity are a ringing endorsement of the capability flowing from the ASMD program.”

The RAN and DMO acknowledge that the success of the program has largely been due to the outstanding efforts and collaboration by Navy, the DMO, Canberra-based CEA Technologies, SAAB Systems and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation.

(Aus DoD)