Project Air 5376 Hornet Upgrade (HUG) Phase 2 Defence Materiel Organisation 2006 PMAA Results: State Winner,State Category Winner

In air combat a split second is the difference between mission success and failure. A pilot’s situational assessment must be quick and accurate.

In Australia’s sphere of military operation the F/A-18 Hornet tactical fighter is the competitive edge in air defence. Defence Materiel Organisation ‘Project Air 5376 Hornet Upgrade (HUG) Phase 2’ ensures it maintains this edge through to its planned withdrawal from service in 2012-15.

Approved in 1998, the A$500 million HUG Phase 2 Stage 2 (Phase 2.2) has worked across international boundaries and governments, to build a new level of capability for the standard variant Hornet.The Project has successfully enhanced the Hornet’s situational awareness, targeting capability and survivability, giving pilots a new cueing system, enhanced communications, upgraded Displays and counter measures.It is the first standard Hornet variant in the world to integrate Link 16, the highly guarded secure communication capability that provides allied forces with total visibility of all battlefield data.

At its peak, the Project had 30 staff spread across three countries coordinating some 20 organisations with 30 sites across five countries. It responded to the communication challenges this presented, as well as the need to rapidly adapt project plans and contracts to counter the technological risks, by embedding key players from all providers and stakeholders in Integrated Product Teams and fostering a team spirit beyond each members’ organisation.

So successful was the development and integration the Canadian Forces and United States Marine Corps have adopted the entire HUG 2.2 avionics suite for their Hornet fleets.

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