Page 28 - Australian Defence Magazine May 2019

EW and UAS
AUS MADE
“If you’re in an environment where
people can hide, electro-optics and infrared can only get you so far.”
KATHERINE ZIESING
Innovation Day in Canberra, the system generated a lot of attention.
“We also want to use it as an aerial re- transmission for combat net radio,” LT- COL Joyce added. “The concept behind the PPDS is somebody who is not a UAS opera- tor – so a transport or distribution expert – is just programming it and pressing the button. You put a radio in, set the frequen- cies, launch it, and nobody has to look after it for another three hours.”
According to CEO Amanda Holt, innova- tive ideas like the PPDS are a product of the unique industry-end user collaboration facili- tated by Army’s genuine passion for SUAS.
“The renaissance of aerospace engineer- ing here is Australia is really being driven by autonomous systems capability,” Holt said. “There’s a genuine belief that autonomous
systems enhance capability, and that this is an area where a sovereign capability can be established and maintained in Australia.
“These programs are world-leading – we’re not just making an Australian version of a Wasp.”
This passion, Holt said, comes from Army leadership and from expertise resi- dent in Australia.
“I’m hard pressed to not single out LT- COL Keirin Joyce,” Holt said. “His passion and commitment to this is outstanding. We also have a remarkable set of very clever peo- ple with amazing experience and the ability to leverage that meaningfully, which I think has really captured everyone’s imagination.”
So what’s next as the renaissance of Aus- tralian aerospace engineering gathers mo- mentum?
The PPDS was on show at the most recent Army Innovation Day in Canberra at ADFA.
“It’s all about finding local, cost effective solutions to the problems of our customers. As an example, at Avalon we had our proto- type long-endurance high altitude aircraft,” Holt said to ADM. “We’re looking at how to apply some of the advanced systems and materials from the SUAS space at the up- per end of operations. That’s when we start looking at pseudo-satellites, extended com- ms relay capabilities, rather than tactical ex- amples like PPDS.”
Persistent Maritime Surveillance Unmatched in Every Respect Sovereign Australian Capability
Visit us at:
www.ocius.com.au UNSW Randwick Campus 22 King St Randwick 2031
28 | May 2019 | www.australiandefence.com.au