Latest news with #DSTG
The Hindu
10 hours ago
- Science
- The Hindu
India, Australia launch joint research project on undersea surveillance
To enhance undersea surveillance technologies, India and Australia have launched a three-year joint research project. The inaugural project aims to improve the early detection and tracking of submarines and autonomous underwater vehicles. According to a statement from the Defence department of the Australian Government, the agreement outlines a three-year joint research project between the Defence Science and Technology Group's (DSTG) Information Sciences Division and its Indian counterpart agency, the Defence Research and Development Organisation's Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory. The leading-edge research will explore using Towed Array Target Motion Analysis to improve the reliability, efficiency and interoperability of current surveillance capabilities. Discipline Leader in DSTG's Information Sciences Division, Amanda Bessell, said Target Motion Analysis was a collective term for target tracking algorithms, developed to estimate the state of a moving target. 'Target Motion Analysis is the crucial element in maintaining platform situational awareness, when a passive mode of operation is required,' Ms. Bessell said. This research project is unique in the way it utilises a towed array-based signal processing system. DSTG Senior Researcher, Sanjeev Arulampalam, explained that a towed array consisted of a long linear array of hydrophones, towed behind a submarine or surface ship on a flexible cable. 'The hydrophones work together to listen to the undersea environment from various directions,' he said. 'The sound signal is passed through a signal processor, which analyses, filters and detects underwater acoustic signals emitted from maritime targets.' The combination of the Target Motion Analysis with the towed array system is intended to manage noise corruption and explore possible performance improvements. The joint project will put novel algorithms to the test, using the strengths and shared knowledge of the two countries. 'The project arrangement will involve the sharing of ideas, investigation trials, algorithm demonstrations and performance analysis,' Mr. Arulampalam said. With the scope of the underwater battlespace changing, including the increased use of autonomous vehicles, improving surveillance capabilities is a priority. 'The output of this research program has the potential to guide the development of future algorithmic directions for our undersea combat system surveillance technologies,' Chief Information Sciences Division, Suneel Randhawa, said. Harnessing international partnerships enables Defence to access a greater range of expertise, infrastructure and technical data to help address mutual problems and deliver innovative technologies. 'We need to harness the best minds in innovation, science and technology to build new capabilities, to innovate at greater pace, and to strengthen our strategic partnerships,' Mr. Randhawa said. This project is the latest milestone in increasing maritime domain awareness cooperation between Australia and India.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
17 hours ago
- Politics
- First Post
India, Australia sign key defence pact to boost undersea surveillance
India and Australia have signed a defence agreement to form a three-year partnership to work on improving the detection and tracking of submarines and autonomous underwater vehicles. read more India and Australia have signed a defence agreement for undersea surveillance. It has been described as the first of its kind. In recent years, India and Australia have deepened defence relations, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region where they have a common interest in countering Chinese hegemonic designs. Both the countries are members of Quad, which also comprises the United States and Japan. In a statement, the Australian Department of Defence on Thursday said that India and Australia have signed their first science and technology project agreement between Australia's Defence Science and Technology Group's (DSTG) Information Sciences Division and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The agreement will form a three-year partnership to work on improving the detection and tracking of submarines and autonomous underwater vehicles. The project will include work on 'Towed Array Target Motion Analysis' to improve the reliability, efficiency, and interoperability of current surveillance capabilities of India and Australia, according to the statement. Australia has been working on its undersea capabilities in recent years in the wake of increasing Chinese maritime activities in the Indo-Pacific. In 2021, Australia joined the United States and United Kingdom to form the Aukus trilateral partnership to develop nuclear submarines. The future of the partnership is, however, uncertain as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a review of the partnership. What does this India-Australia defence pact mean? Explaining the science behind the project, Target Motion Analysis, Amanda Bessell of Australia's DSTG's Information Sciences Division said that it is a collective term for target tracking algorithms developed to estimate the state of a moving target. 'Target Motion Analysis is the crucial element in maintaining platform situational awareness, when a passive mode of operation is required,' Bessell was quoted as saying in the Australian statement. DSTG Senior Researcher Sanjeev Arulampalam further explained that a towed array consisted of a long linear array of hydrophones towed behind a submarine or surface ship on a flexible cable. 'We need to harness the best minds in innovation, science and technology to build new capabilities, to innovate at greater pace, and to strengthen our strategic partnerships. The hydrophones work together to listen to the undersea environment from various directions. The sound signal is passed through a signal processor, which analyses, filters and detects underwater acoustic signals emitted from maritime targets,' said Arulampalam. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The combination of the Target Motion Analysis with the towed array system is intended to manage noise corruption and explore possible performance improvements. The three-year India-Australia project will put novel algorithms to the test by using the strengths and shared knowledge of the two countries, the statement said. 'The project arrangement will involve the sharing of ideas, investigation trials, algorithm demonstrations and performance analysis,' said Arulampalam. Separately, Chief Information Sciences Division, Suneel Randhawa, said, 'The output of this research program has the potential to guide the development of future algorithmic directions for our undersea combat system surveillance technologies.'
United News of India
17 hours ago
- Science
- United News of India
India-Australia join hands to enhance undersea surveillance
New Delhi, July 3 (UNI) In a significant step towards bolstering defence capabilities, India and Australia have joined hands on a pioneering science and technology project to enhance undersea surveillance technologies. The joint research initiative, led by the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory and Australia's Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), aims to improve the early detection and tracking of submarines and autonomous underwater vehicles, Australian Defence Ministry said in a statement. This project is the latest milestone in increasing maritime domain awareness cooperation between Australia and India. In a statement issued by the Australian government Department of Defence said, "The agreement outlines a three-year joint research project between the Defence Science and Technology Group's (DSTG) Information Sciences Division, and its Indian counterpart agency, the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory". "The leading-edge research will explore using Towed Array Target Motion Analysis to improve the reliability, efficiency and interoperability of current surveillance capabilities," it said. Discipline Leader in DSTG's Information Sciences Division, Amanda Bessell, said Target Motion Analysis was a collective term for target tracking algorithms, developed to estimate the state of a moving target. 'Target Motion Analysis is the crucial element in maintaining platform situational awareness, when a passive mode of operation is required,' Bessell said. This research project is unique in the way it utilises a towed array-based signal processing system. DSTG Senior Researcher, Sanjeev Arulampalam, explained a towed array consisted of a long linear array of hydrophones, towed behind a submarine or surface ship on a flexible cable. "We need to harness the best minds in innovation, science and technology to build new capabilities, to innovate at greater pace, and to strengthen our strategic partnerships," the statement added. 'The hydrophones work together to listen to the undersea environment from various directions,' Dr Arulampalam said. 'The sound signal is passed through a signal processor, which analyses, filters and detects underwater acoustic signals emitted from maritime targets.' The joint project will put novel algorithms to the test, using the strengths and shared knowledge of the two countries. 'The project arrangement will involve the sharing of ideas, investigation trials, algorithm demonstrations and performance analysis,' Dr Arulampalam said. With the scope of the underwater battlespace changing, including the increased use of autonomous vehicles, improving surveillance capabilities is a priority. 'The output of this research program has the potential to guide the development of future algorithmic directions for our undersea combat system surveillance technologies,' Chief Information Sciences Division, Suneel Randhawa, said. UNI AAB PRS
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Science
- Time of India
India-Australia pact on undersea surveillance comes into effect
India and Australia's undersea surveillance pact came into effect on Thursday, marking the start of a joint effort to improve early detection and tracking of submarines and autonomous underwater vehicles. The agreement outlines a three-year joint research project between the Defence Science and Technology Group's (DSTG) Information Sciences Division, and its Indian counterpart agency, the Defence Research and Development Organisation's Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory. The leading-edge research will explore using Towed Array Target Motion Analysis to improve the reliability, efficiency and interoperability of current surveillance capabilities.
ABC News
13-05-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Australia's JORN defence radar is being bought by Canada, the decision is part of a wider shift
In the red dirt near Laverton in Western Australia, two rows of poles sit side by side, stretching three kilometres into the distance. They are antennas — 480 sets of them — and they are just one part of a vast radar system that lets Australia monitor the sky and sea thousands of kilometres from our shores. The system is called JORN, which stands for Jindalee Operational Radar Network. Jindalee is an Aboriginal word that means 'the place the eye cannot see'. "It's critical for Australia," said the nation's Chief Defence Scientist Professor Tanya Monro. The system is recognised as a world leader in over-the-horizon radar. And Canada has taken note, announcing plans last month to spend $6.5 billion to purchase JORN for its Arctic defence. "It really is a very significant milestone," Professor Monro told 7.30. "It is the biggest defence export proposed by quite some margin, and it really holds up the extraordinary things we can do in Australia when we put our minds to it and commit." JORN is the product of 50 years of development by the Commonwealth's Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG). Aside from Laverton, it also operates from stations near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and Long Reach in Queensland to give Australia unsurpassed surveillance capabilities up to 3,000 kilometres away. The radar's operations centre is at RAAF Base Edinburgh, north of Adelaide, and across the road is a vast DSTG site where research leader Dr Joe Fabrizio heads a team that constantly tweaks the high frequency radio waves that give JORN its edge. "The interest that there has been in JORN is a testament to the high class and high value over-the-horizon radar systems that defence and [the] defence industry … are capable of producing," he said. Unlike conventional radars, JORN transmits high frequency radio waves 110 kilometres up into the ionosphere, where they bounce back to the Earth's surface from above. Objects underneath — like planes or ships on the ocean surface — are detected when waves reflect back to JORN's massive array of receivers, thousands of kilometres away. "One of the key features of over the horizon radar is it's down-looking viewing geometry," Dr Fabrizio said. In other words, all that low flying you see in movies like Top Gun Maverick to avoid radar won't work with JORN. "An over-the-horizon radar can detect and track aircraft … the same size as a BAE Hawk 127, which is around 12-metres long, or larger aircraft, and ships the same size as an Armidale-class patrol boat which is roughly 56-metres long," Dr Fabrizio said. Defence journalist Murray Brewster from Canada's CBC said JORN is just the sort of system needed in the Arctic. Canada has been under pressure from the US to ramp up defence spending, especially in the far north where its Cold War-era radar stations need to be replaced. "It's been a few years that Canada has been in the market for this," Brewster told 7.30. So new, that when Canada's new prime minister Mark Carney announced the deal to purchase JORN, many in the defence community were stunned. "It is not something I've heard discussed in defence circles until virtually just ahead of the announcement," he said. Brewster believes with US President Donald Trump imposing tariffs and proposing to annex Canada, JORN has one other major advantage — it's not American. "[The purchase] presented itself as a political opportunity for Canada to not wean itself off of the US defence industrial complex entirely, but certainly make a political point." Historically Canada moves slowly when it comes to defence purchases and it has taken so long to replace its F-18 fighter jets, that in 2019 it bought used ones from Australia to fill the gap until new planes arrive. And there have been few details about how the JORN purchase will unfold, but Professor Monro believes this time Canada intends to move much faster. Climate change is impacting the Arctic region and ice coverage is receding. The vast waters north of Canada are more accessible than ever to potential threats. The country recently said there was increased Russian and Chinese activity in Arctic waters. Brewster says Canada can't afford to wait on defence. "The government needs to demonstrate not only to the United States but to other major allies that it is taking the defence of its own territory seriously," he said. He believes buying JORN from Australia does just that. Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV Do you know more about this story? Get in touch with 7.30 here.
