Insitu Stands Up Supply Chain
Insitu Pacific has pre-ordered long lead items and is standing up the Australian supply chain for the Integrator UAS as it starts production against the Land 129 Phase 3 programme, Managing Director Andrew Duggan told MON. “Things that were previously produced in the US, [we’re] getting that built in Australia and in some cases modifying it to meet Australian requirements,” he said.
He added that development of an alternative supply chain offers a new perspective, with fresh eyes on the product suggesting changes. He said that Insitu can begin work rapidly, as Integrator is an evolution of an existing design. Furthermore, training has also started, as the introduction of the Integrator is being completed on a tight timeline: the expected retirement of the RQ-7B Shadow UAS means competent operators are required when the first of the 24 Integrator aircraft on order arrive from 2023.
The company is leveraging its existing training school, already training regional UAS operators on its platforms. Duggan said it will scale up the facilities to include the Integrator, and has already begun training operators from the existing Shadow units. IOC is expected once an initial tranche of UAS is available to replace the Shadows. Full Operational Capability is expected a couple of years after that, although completion of deliveries is yet to be decided. Duggan explained that this depends on how the Army wants the system to be mounted. Integrator is intended to be a mobile system and “part of that is working with Thales to get it onto their Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles.”
The development of a mobile launcher will leverage the Boeing Defence Australia modification of the Bushmaster to be a Headquarters on-the-move C2 communications node as part of Land 2072 2B Project Currawong. Duggan said an Integrator-equipped Bushmaster will be a similar concept, with good communications, lots of screens for operators and is blast tested.
Part of the overall Land 129 Phase 3 requirement is to ensure that systems evolve and are kept up to date, which requires a regular refresh of sensors and software. “It can’t remain a static capability, but it depends on where the money will come from to provide the upgrades,” Duggan said.
Integrator has a modular payload bay that can host a variety of sensors and additional power or processing equipment, offering a plug-and-play capability for new hardware and software as it becomes available.
Tim Fish reporting from Brisbane for MON
