Maritime Division
Ascent supports the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) capability in the Acquisition and Sustainment of RAN GWEO via provision of Senior Engineering Services to CASG MEOSPO. Ascent support includes personnel providing Senior Engineering Acquisition support to the Chief Engineer MEOSPO and sustainment engineering support to Missile IPT Sustainment Defence Establishment Orchard Hills (DEOH) and the Torpedo Maintenance Facility (TMF) in Western Australia.
At DEOH we support missile sustainment and maintenance at the Surface Weapons Complex including the SM-2, ESSM, AGM-84 Harpoon. At the TMF we support the Mk 48 Mod 7 Heavyweight and Mk 54 Mod Lightweight Torpedoes.
Ascent continues to provide support across the SEA1300 Program which consolidates several existing maritime EO projects:
- SEA1352 PH1 – Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Block II (ESSM BLK 2)
- SEA1360 PH1 – Standard Missile -6 Block1 (SM-6 BLK 1)
- SEA4100 PH1 – Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) BLK V
- SEA4000 PH3.2 – SM-2 BLK IIIC
- SEA5000 PH2 – Hunter Class Frigate –Guided Weapons
- SEA1778 PH1 – Mine Countermeasures and SeaFox Mk 62 Destructor Mine Countermeasure System
In addition, Ascent supports Future capabilities including Hypersonic Missiles, Ballistic Missile Defence and upgrades to the MK 48 Mod 7, Mk54 Mod 2 Advanced Lightweight Torpedo (ALWT).
Ascent has for several years supported the Maritime Air Weapons Program Office (MAWPO) with the Introduction into Service of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS) and Mk 54 Mod 0 Light Weight Torpedo and the establishment of the Advanced Lightweight Torpedo (ALWTP) Armaments Cooperative Program.
Ascent has also provided support to various Maritime platforms including the MH-60R, Collins Class, Hobart Class, Hunter Class, and the Attack Class Future Submarine prior to termination.
Joint Division
Ascent Joint division currently provides specialist skills to support a variety of areas including Aircraft Structural Integrity support to the RAAF P-8A fleet this includes corrosion monitoring, prevention, and protection and all aspects of aircraft structure. Also Ascent is developing several software packages that will utilise Machine Learning in support of structural integrity and minimising environmental degradation.
Ascent is part of the team leading the rollout of the EMB Innovator Configuration Management tool, which will be replacing Emerald. Our Innovator team is currently conducting training sessions for the EMB workforce and developing supporting documentation, including the Configuration Management Plan and elements of the EMS, to ensure integrity of the engineering function and configuration management when Innovator goes live.
Ascent is also a member of the support panel for the Single Disposal Organisations approved to provide services supporting the disposal of explosive ordnance and major ADF systems.
Aerospace Division
Ascent provides support to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) capability assisting AEOSPO with sustainment and introduction into service of guided and non-guided weapons, including Guided Weapons maintenance activities at Orchard Hills and RAAF Base Amberley. Ascent has supported the RAAF Missile, Bombs and Non-Guided IPTs for several years.
Ascent is looking at other opportunities to support AEOSPO, including the possible support of LRASSM and JASSM-ER on the F/A-18F Super Hornet, as well as supporting AIR 6000 for indigenous manufacture of the BLU-111 and BLU-117 bombs.
Ascent also provides personnel that directly support the RAAF P-8A and F-35A JSF fleets with explosive ordnance and armament systems expertise supporting platform sustainment and weapons integration activities. Ascent was also heavily involved in the provision of System Safety expertise supporting acquisition of platforms under AIR70003.
Ascent also support the Australian Space Agency, via a joint venture with Praxis Aerospace providing launch services to the Australian Space Agency. This joint venture also supports the provision of risk hazard assessments to support launch licence applications.
Land Division
Ascent provides support to the Australian Army across a multitude of areas in both sustainment and acquisition, where we are considered a service provider of choice. Whilst we are an EO company at our core, we have presence in Land Domain beyond Explosive Material Branch, with other complementary areas of defence, such as ECM and CIED (against explosives/IED threats) and Test and Evaluation of platforms to support the EO capability we deliver.
Ascent are proud to provide staff at all levels from Principal Engineers and Senior Engineers, all the way through to Graduates, and currently provide more than 50% of the Senior Engineering capability for LEOSPO.
Army capabilities that we currently support and enable include:
- Land ISREW Land 154 - where we are assisting with new/improved CIED labs and equipment
- Land Countermeasures Reprogramming Cell – certifying and managing all the ECM software to match/defeat threats to our ground troops
- Land Test and Evaluation Agency (LTEA) - Planning and Conduct of Land Trial 32-2, Land 400 Phase 2 Block I Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle Follow-On Operational Test and Evaluation
- LAND 159 – EO Engineering assessment and certification of all EO for the replacement of all Soldier Combat weapon systems
- Land 8116 155mm tracked artillery – Explosive Ordnance (EO) Engineering support conducting assessment and certification of 46 AUR configurations on the Self-Propelled Howitzer and Armoured Ammunition Re-supply Vehicle.
- LAND 400 Ph3 – Guided Weapons (GW) Engineering support and platform integration support for Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) for the Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) Spike Long Range 2 (Spike LR2).
- Land 907/Land 8160 – EO Engineering supporting assessment and certification of M1A2 MBT ammunition and reactive armour including legacy M1A1 capabilities, and EO for Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV)/Joint Assault Bridge (JAB) Combat Engineering vehicles including M6A1 BRAT ERA and the Mine Clearance Line Charge System (MICLIC)
- Combat Support – GW&EO Engineering support for Demolition stores, 60mm-155mm Artillery, Bolide
- Army Aviation – GW&EO Engineering support for 76mm rockets, AGM-114 Hellfire and Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) systems
- Soldier Combat Systems – EO Engineering support for sustainment and acquisition of Small Arms Ammunition, Grenades, Pyrotechnics, BESS, 66mm Rockets, 84mm Recoilless Rifle
- Armoured Fighting Vehicles – 25mm to 120mm Cannon ammunition, Reactive Armour Tiles, and Smoke
- Assisting LEOPSO with co-development with the USG on a new Advanced Kinetic Energy -Tungsten 120mm Round
We are committed to growing the talent pool of GW & EO Engineers with active recruiting programs and placements. Interested in joining the team, or want to know more? Get in touch with us!
Structural Integrity Academic Research
University Sponsored Projects & Adjunct Lecturing
Since 2016, Ascent personnel have committed to the development of the Defence Industry’s future workforce via the sponsorship of a plethora of academic research projects and adjunct lecturing within local Universities. The successful outcomes of these projects have not only contributed to the establishment of industry ready graduates but have also significantly contributed to the growth of an Australia wide Structural Integrity Research Group (SIRG) focussed specifically at improving Defence’s Cost of Ownership and Platform Stewardship as a Sovereign Australian Capability.
