Revival of Training Capability
A 20-foot shipping container on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, helps the Australian Navy run one of the world’s few remaining shore-to-sea live firing training sites. Since 1959, West Head Gunnery Range which occupies an area of 16 hectares has provided the Royal Australian Navy with live gunnery training for close range and medium calibre shipborne weapon systems, navigation radar and miscellaneous communications and support equipment. One of the many systems used for safety during live firings and also training is the Electro-Optical Tracking System. Also fitted to most major fleet units, the system is highly accurate multi-sensor tracking system used to track and locate targets in aerial warfare.
Ship Maintenance for Australian Navy Enhanced
The Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs has announced the establishment of a new organisation, Fleet Support Unit – Australia, to provide better maintenance support to the Navy. The re-organisation was one of the key recommendations to come out of a review conducted by the Navy’s Continuous Improvement Program and incorporates elements of the Rizzo plan to reform Navy support ship repair and management practices. The review identified that the disparate Fleet Support Units were not empowered to achieve their primary aim of repair and maintenance. The new unit will be an amalgamation of the current Fleet Support Units currently located in different establishments around the country.
