Think Tank: Sea, air, land and space updates (18-Jul-2017)

Jack Viola, Eliza Chapman, Jacqueline Westermann and Harley Comrie

Sea state

The US Navy released a request for information (RFI) last week seeking proposals for a new guided missile frigate. Its previous plans for a new frigate were based on modifying the current littoral combat ships. But the RFI for the new replacement program, designated FFG(X), calls for a bigger crew and more guns, which the current hulls may not be able to deliver. That could mean a whole new design and a new ship in the seas.

The Chinese Navy has conducted a live-fire drill in the Mediterranean Sea. The Chinese flotilla was on its way to join in exercises with the Russian Navy in the Baltic. According to the China Daily, the flotilla ‘fired several rounds’ during a drill that ‘was aimed at honing crew members’ skills in attacking small targets’. The second phase of the exercises, planned for September in the Sea of Japan, will include ‘an amphibious assault component’.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you try to kill a submarine with a nuclear depth charge, War is Boring and Operation Wigwam have some answers.

AUS: Hypersonic flight test a success

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, today congratulated the Defence Science and Technology Group (DST Group) and the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on another successful experimental hypersonic flight at Woomera Test Range.

Minister Payne said the success of these flights takes us one step closer to the realisation of hypersonic flight.

“Hypersonic flight is more than five times the speed of sound and has the potential to revolutionise air travel, making it faster and cheaper to travel around the world and into space,” Minister Payne said.

“There are key military applications of this technology and by understanding hypersonic flight, the Australian Defence Force will be in a better position to respond to future threats.”

Think Tank: Sea, air, land and space updates (6-Jun-2017)

Zoe Glasson, Sophie Qin, Madeleine Nyst and Patrick Kennedy

Sea State

DARPA is looking for a way to improve US Navy capability by making it possible for unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) to communicate underwater. DARPA thinks the answer might be AMEBA (A Mechanically Based Antenna) which could enable wireless communication and data transfer, with antennae  small enough to be installed on UUVs or carried in troops’ packs.

While US Navy UUVs are used for intelligence operations and minesweeping, others have a somewhat different purpose—such as BIKI, the ‘world’s first bionic robot fish’. Though marketed as an underwater camera or monitoring device, BIKI is the real deal, carrying advanced bionics tech of the kind built for artic research.

In an interview with a Chinese State TV channel, a top Chinese naval engineer has revealed that PLAN’s newest nuclear attack submarines (the Type 095 SSN) will be fitted with a ‘revolutionary and silent propulsion system’—a ‘shaftless rim-driven pumpjet’. Analysis of the announcement is just beginning to roll in, but one commentator views the development as ‘an attempt to leap beyond current submarine technology’, which if successful could see the PLAN outpace the US and Britain, whose SSBNs carrying the option for rim-drive pumpjets won’t enter service until 2030.

Think Tank: Nulka - the future of Australia’s defence industry

A Nulka decoy being launched from a warship
(Image: Wiki Commons)

Kim Beazley

I was permitted a point of pride late last year when reports came in that Australia’s decoy rocket, Nulka, diverted a missile attack on the American warship USS Mason off the coast of Yemen. As always, success has a hundred fathers, and credit for the failed missile attack is also being claimed for a couple of fired SM-2s and an evolved Seasparrow. An investigation is underway. The Defence Industry minister, Christopher Pyne, has no doubt about Australia’s singular role, observing in London recently: ‘A US warship, the USS Mason, was recently attacked while off the coast of Yemen by Houthi rebels with what was believed to be land‑based anti‑ship cruise missiles. Fortunately, the ship was equipped with Australian-made Nulka decoys which were deployed, and the missiles crashed into the sea’.

Nulka is cutting edge technology and our largest defence export. It’s a product of an exchange I had with the then US Defense Secretary Cap Weinberger in the mid-1980s. Some of it’s told in the Defence Department’s book, ‘Nulka: A Compelling Story – Ingenuity: Partnership: Perseverance’. At the time, I was annoyed by our inability to get the codes for the APG 65 radar on the RAAF’s F-18s. The codes supplied to us could only identify Warsaw Pact aircraft as foes when most of our potential targets were Western-sourced. Further, we were then the second largest arms customer for US defence industry, with nothing to show on the other side of the ledger.

AUS: Study on Australia’s requirement for submarines released

Australia's Collins class Submarine

Chief Defence Scientist Dr Alex Zelinsky released a study on ‘Australia’s requirement for submarines’ at the 8th Biennial Strategic Conference of the Submarine Institute of Australia.

The study provides an overview of submarine technology and why it is critical for safeguarding Australia’s maritime borders and the nation’s defence capability.

It was authored by DST maritime experts Janis Cocking, Christopher Norwood and Chris Davis.

To download the publication head to the DST Corporate Document webpage .

To view the science and technology strategy for the maritime domain see, Shaping Defence Science and Technology in the Maritime Domain 2016-2026 .

DST Group (Formally DSTO)

AUS: Sonar and Acoustics expert wins science award

A Defence scientist who has exploited the science of sound to pinpoint military threats underwater and over land has won the 2016 Minister’s Award for Achievement in Defence Science.

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, congratulated Dr Brian Ferguson from the Defence Science and Technology Group for his world-leading research in acoustics and signal processing which has contributed significantly to Defence capability by detecting, classifying and tracking targets of military interest.

“Dr Ferguson has broken new ground with his innovative research into advanced acoustic technologies which are being used in Australian and US operational systems for improved situational awareness and surveillance,” Minister Payne said.

Dr Ferguson’s extensive studies established a direct connection between acoustic signals and the course, speed and identity of ships, submarines, aircraft and even speeding bullets.

News Story: Miniature spacecraft for Australian Defence ready to fly

A state-of-the-art miniature satellite that will play an important role in developing Australian Defence space capability is ready for launch into orbit after successfully passing gruelling tests that simulate the harsh environment of space.

A team of space engineers from UNSW Canberra (the University of New South Wales' campus at the Australian Defence Force Academy) and Defence Science and Technology Group, put the satellite through its paces in 24/7 thermal cycling, with the help of spacecraft test engineers from the Australian National University at the Advanced Instrumentation Technology Centre on Mt Stromlo.

"The cubesat that we tested is the first of two in a joint program called Buccaneer to build Australian capability to develop and fly satellite missions," says Professor Russell Boyce, Director of UNSW Canberra Space.

Buccaneer will perform calibration experiments for Australia's world-leading over-horizon Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) from Low Earth Orbit, several hundred kilometres above the surface of the Earth.

Buccaneer will also contribute to aspects of UNSW Canberra Space's research program, looking at ways to more accurately predict the orbits of space objects.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

AUS: Defence Partners with UNSW for Space Research

Minister for Defence Senator the Hon Marise Payne announced today that Defence has commenced an innovative space research program using miniature satellites.

Space mission ‘Buccaneer’ is a partnership between Defence Science and Technology Group and the University of New South Wales that will conduct calibration activities for the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) as well as undertake outer atmosphere characterisation experiments.

Defence will also participate in multi-national space mission ‘Biarri’ to support GPS and space situational awareness experiments.

Minister Payne said the research missions will leverage Australia’s niche expertise and reinvigorate Australia’s space engineering capability.

AUS: Ground-breaking PTSD research will help Soldiers

DST is conducting research into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), seeking to improve treatment for soldiers suffering from the illness.

In 2010, the ADF estimated the 12-month prevalence of mental disorders as 22% of the 50,049 ADF population sample. Among those, 6196 were Army personnel – that’s 24.4% of the total Army of 25,356.

PTSD is a significant issue among many returned service personnel in Australian and coalition forces.

Three years ago, the US Department of Veterans’ Affairs indicated that of the 1.64 million service members who had served in Afghanistan and Iraq, 20%, or 328,000, were experiencing depression, anxiety, stress of PTSD.

These figures concerned Defence scientist Dr Helen Cartledge who is the Director Science Programs for the Army, so she decided to teamed up with Carolyn Mountford, a professor at the University of Newcastle to further investigate PTSD and blast injury.

AUS: Partnering with the US to test a world without GPS

The team prepare for a GPS-free UAS flight trial at Woomera

Defence researcher Sam Dudley, works with unmanned aerial systems (UAS), specifically trying to optimise and improve the performance of a datalink between a far-off UAS and home base.

Dudley’s work is conducted under a Project Agreement with the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

“Our aim under this project is to navigate a UAS aircraft without GPS assistance to a target location 100 km away,” Dudley explains.

“As part of that, to maintain range safety and for operational reasons, we need to maintain communications with the aircraft over the 100 km outward journey.”

AUS: Defence scientist appointed to lead Lockheed Martin’s new research facility

Minister for Defence Senator the Hon Marise Payne today congratulated Defence Science and Technology Group senior executive Dr Tony Lindsay on his appointment as director of Lockheed Martin’s new Science Technology Engineering Leadership and Research Laboratory (STELaR Lab) in Melbourne.

Dr Lindsay is one of Australia’s pre-eminent Defence scientists and is currently Chief of the DST Group’s National Security and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Division.

“Dr Lindsay has had a distinguished 28 year career with DST Group and will bring a wealth of knowledge and insight into his new role,’’ Minister Payne said.

“His appointment is a testament to his leadership in his field and demonstrates the high regard in which DST Group is held within the defence industry.’’

Lockheed Martin will invest $13 million in the lab over the next three years to further study areas including hypersonics, autonomy, robotics and command, control, communications, computing, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Dr Lindsay will finish with DST Group in October before beginning his role with Lockheed later in the year.

AUS DoD

NOTE: The “Lockheed Martin to Establish Leading Edge Research & Development Facility in Melbourne” Link in the above was added by PacificSentinel for clarity & context.

Industry: Lockheed Martin to Establish Leading Edge Research & Development Facility in Melbourne

Minister for Industry, Innovation & Science the Hon. Greg Hunt MP and Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews MP welcome $13 million investment 

MELBOURNE, Australia – Aug. 2, 2016 – Melbourne has been confirmed as the location for a leading edge multi-disciplinary Research & Development (R&D) facility by leading global technology company Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT).

Lockheed Martin will invest an initial $13 million over three years to establish a Science Technology Engineering Leadership and Research Laboratory (STELaR Lab) to undertake R&D to solve the technology challenges of the future, and work in the art of the possible.

STELaR Lab, the first leading edge multi-disciplinary facility to be established by Lockheed Martin outside of the United States, will constitute Lockheed Martin’s national R&D operations centre for its current research portfolio in Australia, and undertake additional internal R&D programs.

Scheduled to open in early 2017, STELaR Lab researchers will explore several fields, including hypersonics, autonomy, robotics and command, control, communications, computing, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

News Story: Lockheed Martin Harnesses Australian R&D for Next-Gen Radar

Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN)
Over-the-Horizon Radar

Nigel Pittaway

MELBOURNE, Australia — Lockheed Martin, in partnership with Australia’s Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group, is developing enhancements for the next generation of Over-the-Horizon Radar (OTHR) to detect and track small, fast-moving targets at extremely long ranges and at night.

The US defense giant has invested in the Australian Research and Development (R&D) Programme with a view to selling the capability in the international market place, including the United States. The defense-industry team announced the successful completion of Phase 1 of validation work on what is known as Project Coorong on June 8.

“From a Lockheed Martin perspective, a lot of the problems that DST Group had identified in that area is really about a problem space that one of our international customers would potentially want resolved in the next-generation Over-the-Horizon Radar,” said Jack Mahoney, Lockheed Martin Australia’s general manager.

Mahoney pointed to Brazil’s Sistema de Gerenciamento do Amazonia Azul maritime awareness program of 2014 as an example of the applications the company sees for Project Coorong in the export market.

“This technology could have been applicable to that space as well, but at the same time the US was also clearly interested in trying to understand how OTHR fits into their layer of systems-of-systems, from a detection perspective,” Mahoney said.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

AUS: Showcasing innovative defence technologies

The Defence Science and Technology Group (DST) is staging open days at its Melbourne laboratory for industry and academia to showcase innovative technologies being developed to give the Australian Defence Force a capability edge.

The Partnerships Week event (6 to 10 June) is part of DST’s outreach campaign for closer ties with companies, universities and public research organisations to undertake collaborative research projects for Defence capability.

Chief Defence Scientist, Dr Alex Zelinsky, said Partnerships Week was based on the successful event held in Adelaide last year.

“Our industry and university partners have said they value the interaction with our scientists and the opportunity to get involved with the specialist work we do for Australia’s defence and national security,” he said.

The event includes site tours, technology demonstrations, research capability displays, and access to Defence researchers to discuss new and emerging capabilities.

AUS: New strategic alliance on defence technologies

The Defence Science and Technology Group (DST) and Raytheon Australia today signed a strategic alliance to strengthen collaboration on defence technologies.

The agreement was signed by the Chief Defence Scientist, Dr Alex Zelinsky and Mr Michael Ward, Managing Director of Raytheon Australia during DST’s Partnership Week activities in Melbourne.

“The agreement with Raytheon marks the 14th such alliance we have now signed with our strategic partners in industry and the research sector. I welcome this partnership,” Dr Zelinsky said.

“Our ability to achieve Strategic Defence Objectives relies on critical support from Australian defence industry to deliver leading-edge innovation and research.”

AUS: Hypersonic flight success

Image of a previous HIFiRE test launch

The Defence Science and Technology Group and the US Air Force Research Laboratory today successfully completed an experimental hypersonic flight out of the Woomera Test Range in South Australia.

The experimental rocket reached an apogee of 278 km, achieving the targeted speed of Mach 7.5 (seven and a half times the speed of sound).

The HIFiRE 5b flight was undertaken as part of a joint research effort called the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation Program (HIFiRE) being conducted by the Defence Science and Technology Group and the US Air Force Research Laboratory with Boeing and the University of Queensland providing expert technical design and analysis.

Chief Defence Scientist Dr Alex Zelinsky congratulated the international hypersonics  team, saying  the success of this test launch takes us one step closer to the realisation of hypersonic flight.

“It is a game-changing technology identified in the 2016 Defence White Paper and could revolutionise global air travel, providing cost-effective access to space,” Dr Zelinsky said.

The program is aimed at exploring the fundamental technologies critical to the realisation of sustained hypersonic flight.

The HIFiRE team has already achieved some significant milestones such as the design, assembly and pre-flight testing of the hypersonic vehicles and the design of complex avionics and flight systems. More test flights are scheduled in the next two years.

DSTG

AUS: $7.2m for new food processing technology in Tasmania

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, today announced the Government will invest $7.2 million in an innovative new food processing technology which will be used to produce high-quality combat rations.

Defence will establish a Microwave Assisted Thermal Sterilisation (MATS) research and development plant within the Defence Food and Nutrition Centre in Scottsdale along with a production facility in Launceston.

“The MATS process is an innovative new food preparation method that uses state-of-the-art rapid sterilisation techniques to create shelf-stable, ready-to-eat meals required by Defence personnel,” Minister Payne said.

“Microwave-sterilised meals have the potential to improve the production and quality of readymade foods across both Defence rations and the wider commercial market, both nationally and within the Asia-Pacific region.’’

Think Tank: The next Battle of the Beams

Australia's 1st E/A-18G Growler during it's roll out at Boeing

James Mugg

The Battle of the Beams was a period during World War II concerning German attempts to harness radio navigation for night bombing in the UK and the resulting British countermeasures. The British eventually managed to jam or distort all three iterations of German radio signals, making it more difficult for the bombers to hit their targets. That episode dramatically illustrates the ephemeral nature of advantages in electronic warfare, especially when operating against an agile and sophisticated foe.

Since the end of the Cold War and the onset of the War on Terror, the principal targets of Western military power have been relatively low-tech groups in the Middle East. Electronic warfare platforms like the US Navy’s EA-6B Prowler were used to jam enemy communications during operations, and the relatively low tech of the enemy limited their ability to counter. But the constant threat to ground troops from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) led to the development of counter-IED jamming systems, and a new ‘invisible war’ emerged. As quickly as vehicle-mounted jammers could be reprogrammed, insurgents made use of a variety of commercial technologies—cell-phones, key-fobs, door remotes—to adapt.

News Story: Submarine Bids Now in, Australian Panel Begins Evaluation

By Nigel Pittaway

MELBOURNE, Australia — Now that all three competitors have issued final proposals in Australia's AU$ 50 billion (US $36.44 billion) Future Submarine program, an expert advisory panel will begin its evaluations and issue findings next year to guide the government's selection.

Up to 12 large conventional submarines will be acquired under Project Sea 1000. The Australian government selected France’s DCNS, TKMS of Germany and the government of Japan to participate in a competitive evaluation process (CEP).

“Since the CEP began in February, all three participants have worked closely with [the Department of] Defence and they should be congratulated for the hard work and significant investment they have made to reach this point,” Australian Defence Minister Sen. Marise Payne said in a statement.

“Submarines are Defence’s most complex, sensitive and expensive capability, so it is important that evaluation process is fair and robust.”

Each of the three bidders is required to submit three strategies for construction of the Future Submarine, from full completion in their home shipyards; through a hybrid model where initial boats are built in the home yard and the remainder in Australia; and a complete build in an Australian shipyard.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

AUS: Australia and Japan sign arrangement on hydrodynamics research

Australia and Japan have signed a cooperative research arrangement on marine hydrodynamics, the Chief Defence Scientist, Dr Alex Zelinsky, announced today.

“This is the first joint defence research project to be conducted by our two countries,” Dr Zelinsky said.

The collaborative research program will be undertaken by Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group and Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency.

“This is an excellent start to our new relationship in defence science and technology cooperation,” Dr Zelinsky said.