BMT Design & Technology has conducted the life of type extension (LOTE) study for the Commonwealth of Australia, aimed to examine a range of options for defence maritime platforms that are currently in service with Royal Australian Navy.
The company has completed study in two stages over 12 months and developed a risk-based approach to assess the LOTE viability for 11 classes of ship.
BMT design and technology principal consultant Peter Sanders said the company has been supported with knowledge and expertise from its sister companies, BMT Isis and BMT Defence Services.
"Our intimate understanding of the defence engineering environment provided the customer with the confidence that we could deliver a comprehensive study which met their requirements," Sanders said.
The options comprise the entire surface fleet of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), through to the landing craft mechanised (LCM) and lighter amphibious resupply cargo (LARC) vehicles of army marine.
Without limiting to material / condition surveys, the risk-based approach involved the fundamental inputs to capability (FIC), which enabled identification of the full cost of operating the fleet within the various LOTE scenarios.
In addition to supporting the development of a robust business case for higher committee consideration, the BMT study offered an informed basis for government to choose where and when to spend money.
The study also provided costing of the options and recommend a way forward for each class, reliable advice on schedule and budget implications as well as fidelity of costing data of sufficient quality to inform senior defence management.
Moreover, the study provided and understanding of the underlying drivers of costs, any impact on capability to conduct and sustain operations and impact on achieving availability targets whilst meeting safety, environmental and technical risk imperatives.
Image: Royal Australian Navy’s landing ship heavy (LSH) HMAS Tobruk (L 50) stationed at a port. Photo: copyright of BMT Group Ltd.
