Assembly of the Mk32 Mod 9 torpedo launchers for the Hobart
Class Air Warfare Destroyers is now underway at Babcock's Techport
Australia premises, marking an important milestone in the contract.
Babcock Pty Ltd, part of Babcock International Group, was awarded
the contract in December 2008 by Raytheon Australia Pty Ltd, on
behalf of the Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) Alliance.
Two Mk32 Mod 9 torpedo launcher assemblies will be mounted in
magazine compartments, port and starboard, on each of the three
Hobart class AWDs. Originally designed for the US Navy, the Mod 9
launcher is a twin barrelled variant of the Mk32 launchers
currently in operation on Anzac and FFG frigates in Australia and
will be modified to discharge Eurotorp MU90 torpedoes.
Babcock engineers and technicians are now commencing assembly of
the launchers, which will take around seven months for all six
launchers (three ship sets), and will be followed by Factory
Acceptance Testing (FAT) of each set at Babcock's newly developed
facility at Techport, South Australia. FAT will involve safety and
interlock checks and the measurement of additional system
parameters during the discharge of a dummy weapon from the
launchers into a specially designed rig.
Under the contract to date, the first phase has seen Babcock
working closely with the US Naval Underwater Weapons Centre at
Rhode Island, and transfer of a technical data pack to Australia
under a license granted by the US Department of State, in
accordance with appropriate US International Traffic in Arms
Regulations (ITAR). The data pack provides the basis for the
procurement, manufacture, assembly and test of the equipment in
Australia. Babcock now has the system and processes in place to
handle ITAR controlled design information and procure ITAR
controlled hardware through its US network.
Manufacture of component parts, including barrels, quadrants,
breech locking rings, and air charging panels, as well as a number
of major sub-assemblies, has also been on-going during the first
phase of the contract. While some equipment has been sourced from
specialist international suppliers, all other work is being carried
out in Australia, representing around 60% of the contract
value.
"Having the component parts and sub-assemblies arrive at our
Techport Australia site, and starting the assembly process, marks
an exciting and important milestone in this contract," Babcock
director Pat Donovan comments. "Delivery of the completed launchers
is on track against our project schedule, and ahead of the
customer's required delivery date of September 2011 for the first
ship set."
Babcock is providing a complete weapons handling and launch
system from stowage to launcher for the Hobart Class AWDs, having
also been awarded the contract to supply the Weapon Handling and
Stowage System (WHSS) by ASC, on behalf of the AWD Alliance, last
year.
Babcock has over 30 years' experience in the design and
manufacture of torpedo launch and handling systems for both surface
ship and submarine platforms worldwide, including having supplied
torpedo tubes and weapon launch systems for Australia's Collins
Class submarines, with over 70% of the manufacture of this
equipment managed by Babcock locally in Australia. Babcock has
continued to invest in and develop its Australian business, and has
a team encompassing a mix of staff recruited from within Australia
and the UK, offering engineering design, programme management,
in-service support and specialist analysis.