Project SEA 1448 (Phases 2A and 2B) will deliver a state of the art Anti-Ship Missile Defence operational capability, providing an improved level of self-defence against modern anti-ship missiles for the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Anzac Class frigates.

On 2 May 2009 the Australian Government's 2009 Defence White Paper was released. The ASMD Project featured as follows: "...The Government is also committed to ensuring that the current Anzac class frigates continue to be able to operate effectively until they start being replaced by the Future Frigates. Subject to the successful outcome of at-sea trials on the first ship, the Government will put all of the Anzac ships through the anti-ship missile defence upgrade program, which employs highly innovative Australian-designed digital phased array radar technology. This significant increase in capability will be complemented by upgrades to both the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile and the Nulka missile decoy system. ASW upgrades on the Anzac class will also be undertaken."

The ASMD project will provide the ANZAC Ships with enhanced platform survival against medium and emerging high end missile threats; multiple subsonic or supersonic missiles arriving near simultaneously. It will also enable ANZACs to give close-in protection to Amphibious ships, supporting the Air Warfare Destroyer’s area air defence capability with a local missile defence inner layer for a Task Group.

Under Phase 2A, the Project involves upgrading the Combat Management System and installs an Infra Red Search and Track (IRST) capability to provide improved low level missile threat detection when close to land. This phase is considered low risk, using proven technology. The Saab Mk3E Combat Management System (an upgrade of hardware and software over the existing ANZAC Class Mk3 CMS) is very closely related to that fitted in Sweden’s Visby Stealth Corvettes, and IRST is fielded in the French and Italian Navies.

At the same time (under Phase 2B), the Australian designed and developed, leading edge technology phased array radars (PAR) (from CEA Technologies, Canberra ACT) completes the ASMD capability by integrating:

1. CEAFAR S-Band target indication and tracking radar to replace the ANZAC’s Sea Giraffe Target Indication Radar; and
2. CEAMOUNT X-Band illumination radar, which provides mid-course guidance and terminal illumination for the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM).CEAMOUNT will deliver multiple channels of fire to enable more than one weapon to be controlled in flight at the same time (current ANZAC capability) to engage multiple targets.
3. A new solid state pulse Doppler X-Band dual navigation radar from Kelvin Hughes (“SharpEye”) replacing the existing system.

A De-Risked Acquisition Programme

As part of the overall de-risking philosophy with this new leading edge radar technology, the ASMD capability is being fielded into a single ship initially prior to other ships within the Class being modified. This ship (currently scheduled for HMAS PERTH) will start installation in January 2010 and undergo operational trials until July 2011. Prior to being installed into this first ship though the system will undergo significant trials in the various ASMD Land Based Test Sites located around Australia. These sites include:

• The ANZAC Class System Support Facility in HMAS STIRLING, Western Australia. This is where the final set to work will occur for ASMD as an integrated system. It is also where the training for the ASMD suite will be conducted for RAN personnel. A dedicated ASMD building, where this testing and training will occur is within the Anzac-Class training facility in HMAS STIRLING and it was completed on time and on budget in March 2007. This facility completed its fit-out in early July 2009 and will continue to be used for system integration testing until December 2009 at which time ship 1 training will commmence; and

• At CEA Technologies offices in Fyshwick, ACT where the phased array system is being designed and built, a replica of the mast has been fitted to the roof of the premises to enable through air testing prior to ship integration.

The future ANZAC Class fitted with the Anti-Ship Missile Defence System.

ESSM-CEAMOUNT Compatibility Demonstration Completes

In May 2009 the Project successfully passed its fourth Phased Array Demonstration - this time to show ESSM-CEAMOUNT Compatibility. This activity demonstrated signal compatibility of a ship 1 production CEAMOUNT face with an Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile.

ASMD Project Team Members at the ESSM–CEAMOUNT compatibility demonstration

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