The global financial crisis has been blamed for the Australian government's decision to cancel its plans to sell ASC Pty Ltd. In fact the crisis may have come at just the right time, so far as the privatisation is concerned.

As Defence officials ponder upgrade/replacement options for the Electronic Support systems on the ANZAC Ships, there is a niggling thought the process could be overtaken (and subsumed) by the impending choice of a similar requirement for the AWD.

The ratio of Project Protector man-hours spent building the vessels for the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) to the man-hours spent on legal argument and fine-tuning contractual clauses may be approaching parity.

As ADM closed for press, Australia's naval industry was awaiting the next round of contract awards from the AWD Alliance. Some of the major platform configuration items are included: engines, flight deck handling systems and, of course, the hull and superstructure modules themselves.

Last year Defence sought tenders for a study for a conceptually-designed Open Architecture (OA) model for the future Collins sonar system replacement. The report has been received, but is Defence any the wiser?

BAE Systems Australia is working hard to make sure that all the contracts behind the LHD are in place at the right time and the right place. Most of the design issues arising from Australianisation of specific factors have been dealt with and the project is sailing well.

Austal capped a big year n 2008 by winning the US Navy's US$1.6 billion JHSV contract; now the company's major impending milestone is the start next month of sea trials for its innovative trimaran LCS design.

One might be forgiven for thinking that the decision to acquire and install a developmental US combat system in the Collins submarines, has been almost as disastrous as the original decision to equip the submarines with what was to have been the best combat system in the world.

Australia's ability to conduct a deep sea rescue operation for any of its six Collins class submarines currently relies on a rescue vehicle that is based in Scotland and is unlikely to reach an accident site in less than 80 hours.

Major configuration items for the AWDs are now being specified and procured, but one of them could have a significant down-stream impact: in particular it has the potential to dictate the RAN's future choice of helicopter.

For a facility that was famously labelled "a white elephant" by some sectors of Government and industry, the Australian Marine Complex (AMC) and the Common User Facility (CUF) are showing themselves to be outstanding performers for both the Defence and mining industries.

As the ADF deploy on disaster relief; urban operations; counterinsurgency and peacekeeping missions, Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) has become vital to success in the modern area of operation.

The US Navy has deployed its first operational RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV to provide coverage over the middle east and south west Asia.

Rotorsim, a joint venture by CAE and AgustaWestland, has signed a three-year contract to provide NH90 flight simulation training to the Norwegian armed forces.

The Australian Government has launched the $85 million Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC) in Bendigo, aimed at researching futuristic materials for the Defence industry.

Austal has secured its first European defence contract with an order for four 21.2 metre inshore patrol craft - including training and spares support - from the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM).