Project

Explanation

Background

The capability need was identified in 2002-03 by Capability Development Group (CDG) and the Land Warfare Development Centre. The need arose from analysis of operational experience through the use of BCSS, regional threat and technology assessments, and support from allied programs and technology growth. The capability was refined from 2003 to 2005 culminating in the submission for first pass approval in late 2005. The duration of time from concept to contract has allowed the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to capitalise upon generational advancements in technology and support the alignment of complementary projects to deliver an holistic solution.

The project received Government first pass approval in December 2005. In June 2006, the Minister for Defence agreed that the solicitation of the Land 75 Phase 3.4 BMS and the Land 125 Phase 3 C4I sub-system was to be combined to enable Defence to obtain a fully integrated system for mounted and dismounted battle management. The communications bearer (originally to be provided separately by the JP2072 project) for the mounted BMS was added in January 2007. Combining the Request For Tender (RFT) enabled Defence to seek a coherent and integrated solution from industry.

The BGC3 RFT closed on the 27 August 2007, with tenders received from four companies. The initial down selection was to two preferred tenders in January 2008. Phase 1 of the Offer Definition Activity (ODA) selected Elbit Systems Ltd (Elbit) as the preferred tender to proceed to Phase 2 of ODA in May 2008. Elbit successfully completed the ODA and provided a refined risk, schedule and cost proposal that constituted the basis of the approval proposal. Government second pass approval was gained in November 2009, with the contract being awarded to Elbit as the prime contractor in March 2010.

Uniqueness

The capability introduced by this project will fundamentally change the methods used by tactical forces in the implementation and collaborative distribution of battlefield data. Command and Control processes will move from analogue, hard copy based information distribution to an electronic, near-real time capability with improved situational awareness. Implementation of this capability is considered a conversion rather than simply a rollout for the ADF, as it introduces a significant number of organisational and personnel change management requirements.

Major Challenges

There is a significant Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) component to this project and it's management poses a challenge as the Commonwealth works to accommodate the GFE requirements of Elbit Systems. The type of GFE ranges from systems that can only be sourced through the United States (US) Government and hence subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and Australian Defence Force (ADF) controlled assets, including personnel and vehicle platforms.

Meeting the design approval requirements continues to remain a challenge for the program as the project is exposed to multiple platform design authorities which creates a complex management environment. Melding of the processes required to achieve an approved design continue to consume a large portion of the projects management and engineering resources.

The majority of the components in the BMS are off the shelf, as are many of the external systems to which the system is to integrate. Managing the interfaces to ensure that the system specifications can be achieved remains a key challenge.

Other Current Projects/Sub-Projects

Land 75 Phases 3.2, 3.3 and 3.3B BCSS: A digital command post system used for deliberate planning, operational monitoring, controlling and reviewing functions. The BCSS will provide the higher level command and control processes to complement and inform the lower tactical information generated from the BMS.