An important but easily overlooked part of the modernization of the Australian Army’s onshore program is the second phase of the Onshore Program 4100.
This is part of a broader set of efforts announced in September 2021 to deploy long-range precision strike weapons not only for the Royal Australian Air Force and Navy (SEA4100), which previously had this capability, but also for the Army.
Under Project Land 8113, the Army has been seeking to acquire the US Lockheed Martin M142 vehicle-mounted HIMARS, which can currently locate ground targets to 100 km using GLMRS rockets and 300 km using ATACMS. The country is also a partner in the U.S. Army’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM).
However, none of these systems can strike a motorized vessel. Land Project 4100 Phase 2 will gain this capability, enabling ground forces to intercept and destroy maritime surface threats. Mobile-based land-based anti-ship capabilities offer specific advantages in that they can be deployed to critical areas, are easily concealed, and can engage and reposition, increasing their survivability and effectiveness.
Although a formal bidding process has not yet been launched, some companies have potential solutions and may be interested. The government has planned about $500 million for the acquisition. The goal is to find a “low risk” supportable solution.
Thales Australia and Kongsberg’s local county teams are trying to build a strong position for their candidates early on. The two companies have jointly developed StrikeMaster independently. The system combines the proven Army-service Viper protection 4 X 4 vehicle with the Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM). The team showcased StrikeMaster’s demonstrator at the 2022 Army Exhibition in Brisbane in early October. A system with two container launchers will be produced domestically.
One factor supporting StrikeMaster’s proposal is the Royal Australian Navy’s July 2022 announcement of the selection of the NSM to deploy in 2024 to replace the Harpoon anti-ship missiles on its surface warships. In fact, Kongsberg said that the launch mission module is being used on board for StrikeMaster. NSM serves in nine countries including the United States, Japan, Malaysia and Canada. The missile has a range of more than 185 kilometers and is compatible with ground and ship launches. RAAF is also considering an air-launched NSM version of its F-35A Lighting II.
Lockheed Martin is proposing its AGM-184C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile – Surface Launched (LRASM-SL), which it proposes to launch from HIMARS. It is derived from the AGM-158 developed for the F/A-18 aircraft and has been ordered by the Royal Australian Air Force for a 2026 launch. Initially but available from other platforms. It has a range of more than 370 kilometers.
The estimated timetable for the launch of Phase 2 of the Land Project 4100 remains unclear, but it is clear that minimising risk is the primary consideration.
Stephen W. Miller
