Sub-hunting exercises follow in wake of China’s naval visit

The Department of Defence and the Royal Australian Navy have put on an overtly public display of Australia’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

Described officially as “the largest Australian task group exercise in more than a decade”, it is occurring off the West Australian coast just weeks after a group of Chinese military vessels completed a conspicuous circumnavigation that included live-fire exercises.

While much has been made of the diversion of commercial air traffic between Australia and New Zealand during the drills by the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s surface vessels, the tactical and strategic realpolitik has resulted in a flexing of Australia’s counter-submarine capabilities.

Most military analysts expect that at least one PLA submarine accompanied the surface vessels as part of the exercise that was diplomatically acknowledged as legal and reciprocal to Australia’s naval presence in the north and the South China Sea.

Known as ASWEX, the sub-hunting exercises try to locate hidden Australian underwater boats to keep skills and coordination up to scratch. But the timing isn’t lost on anyone.

“Four of Navy’s most advanced multi-mission MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopters are supporting six warships, and RAAF and RNZAF Poseidon P-8 aircraft, to hunt Australian submarines hidden beneath the waves of the eastern Indian Ocean in Navy’s top annual task group exercise,” Defence said.

One of the sub-hunting Sea Hawks is dubbed “the GOAT”, with pilot Lieutenant Jaryd Wetzel saying in a Defence statement that the “objective of ASWEX was to develop skills involving sub-surface targets to improve the capability to fight in the underwater domain.”

“It is one of the most challenging domains of warfare, hunting a submarine,” Wetzel said.

“To track a submarine involves a collective team effort on board the aircraft and in the ship. We all have a role to play in achieving success.”

Defence said that His Majesty’s Australian ships “Warramunga, Toowoomba, Stuart, and Arunta worked as one united frigate force under the direction of the Australian Maritime Task Group”.

“Joined by HMA ships Choules and Hobart, the task group fleet put proof to the concept of an agile fleet that is focused, lethal, and ready.

“In the skies, the fleet was supported by Navy MH-60R helicopters and RAAF and Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon sub hunters, generating significant force tailored for sea control and deterrence missions.”

The timing of the exercises is unlikely to be pure coincidence. While holding them after the PLA flotilla passed avoided any diplomatically awkward brush-ups, it also didn’t put on a close-range show to be documented and analysed.

At the end of March, Chinese research ship Tan Suo Yi Ha was logged as cruising off the Victorian coast. The ship carries a deep-sea submersible.

Strategic and military relations, as they say, are getting cosy.

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