Page 40 - Australian Defence Magazine - June 2018

JORN:a world leading OTHR capability
THIS is being carried out under Project Air 2025 Phase 6, a $1.2 billion undertaking for which BAE Systems Australia (BAES) was named preferred tenderer in March, beat- ing off competition from Lockheed Martin Australia. Phase 6 includes a separate 10- year support contract.
Both companies have had lengthy asso- ciations with JORN. Lockheed Martin in association with then-partner Tenix success- fully resuscitated JORN construction and in April 2003 delivered the operational system to the Commonwealth. Lockheed Martin subsequently managed and supported Radar One at Longreach in Queensland and Radar Two at Laverton in Western Australia.
For its part, BAES was involved in the development of high frequency (HF) radar and associated software for JORN initially through its acquisition in 1996 of AWA Defence Industries, and subsequently through legacy company GEC-Marconi. This compa- ny’s ill-fated joint venture with then-JORN systems integrator Telstra ran into technical problems and was supplanted in 1997 by the Lockheed Martin-Tenix partnership.
BAES has also managed the original Jindalee Radar3nearAliceSpringsprimarilyasaDefence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) test- bed for JORN’s long-range detection capability.
Until it was fully integrated into the JORN net- work in 2012, Radar 3 also acted as a separate operational radar when required.
Work under Phase 6 implementing the handover of support activities from Lockheed Martin officially began on 4 April, drawing on a 280-strong workforce that will grow later in the year.
BAES will assume full responsibility in September for the JORN Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) at RAAF Edinburgh (work previously shared with Lockheed Martin); for Radar One in October; for Radar Two in November; and for remote ionosphere sounders and transponders in December.
BAES is teaming with RCR Infrastructure, part of RCR Tomlinson, which is providing remote site facilities management. Other partners include Daronmont Technologies who will upgrade the sounders and tran- sponders and assist with several builds of upgraded software at the JCC, and Raytheon who will provide systems engineering exper- tise and niche software skills.
Steve Wynd, the company’s JORN Program Director, says the transition is being handled by tripartite working par- ties from BAES, Lockheed Martin, and the Commonwealth.
Wynd praises Lockheed Martin site staff as dedicated and highly-skilled.
“Quite a number will come across supple- mented by some of our people; they’re pas- sionate about the capability and we’re keen to retain that capability and the investment that has been made by the Commonwealth in developing that over the years,” he com- mented to ADM.
JULIAN KERR | SYDNEY
With antecedents stretching back to
the UK’s Chain Home radar system of WWII, Australia’s world-leading Jindalee Over-The-Horizon Radar Network (JORN)
is embarking on a major upgrade to combat future threats, including those likely to be posed by hypersonic missiles.
40 | June 2018 | www.australiandefence.com.au