Saab to base Australia's next-gen combat system on 9LV architecture

A view of the operations room of the RAN Anzac-class frigate HMAS Perth displaying Saab's 9LV Mk 3E. (Commonwealth of Australia)

The next-generation sovereign combat management system (CMS) to be delivered by Saab to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) under an ‘Enterprise Partnering Agreement' (EPA) with the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) will be based on the company's 9LV CMS, a spokesperson for Saab told Janes in late September.

“In time, [this Australian CMS (AusCMS)] will be fitted to all RAN ships that require a CMS or Australian Interface,” the spokesperson said.

The RAN's “Supply, Arafura, Anzac, Canberra, Bay, Hobart, and Hunter classes are all either under consideration or active development”, the spokesperson added.

Saab announced on 8 September that it has signed the final stage of the EPA with the DoD.

This is a 10-year agreement to deliver high-technology systems to support the RAN, the spokesperson informed Janes.

The EPA with Saab was initially announced by the Australian government in February 2020 to supply a “next-generation” CMS to the RAN, and develop an Australian Interface to the Aegis system for the Hunter-class frigates and the Hobart-class destroyers.

In March 2021 the Australian government announced that the EPA with Saab has been expanded to include “maritime mine-countermeasures and military survey vessels”.

“The AusCMS will be continuously upgraded to meet the ongoing needs of the RAN. This includes updates to address the complex situation-awareness environment, increased submarine threat, smart sensors and effectors, task-group level operations, increased intelligence, increased surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, [and] increased cyber defence,” the spokesperson told Janes.