Page 32 - Australian Defence Mag Jul-Aug 2020

32 SURVEILLANCE IN LAND DOMAIN
PASSIVE RADAR
JULY/AUGUST 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
the S-series for space with different variants within each of the series. Defence has been working with both the M and S series radars, with demonstrations of both for different services.
“The application is different for the various systems as is the detection range that the systems provide,” Dr James Palmer CEO of Silentium Defence explained to ADM. “The space system is focused on detection of resident space objects in low earth orbit. So very long-range detec- tions compared to the tactical situational awareness pic- ture provided by the M-series.
LEFT: Silentium Defence MAVERICK M-8 System in the field.
“The systems also differ in their size, weight and power foot- print. The M-series is smaller in its size, weight and power. It’s fit for purpose for the military customers. The S-series is a larger static infrastructure with a much greater antenna aper- ture to achieve the longer-range detections of objects in orbit.
“The theatre of operation is more congested and con- tested than ever before with more objects in the air, on the ground and at sea. The ability to detect, track and make informed decisions about those objects in real-time is criti- cal to help mitigate risk and increase troop survivability.
“We have harnessed the power of passive radar to develop that capability for Defence. Our Maverick M-series passive radar de- livers reliable, persistent situational awareness in any weather and varying terrain, without advertising the user’s presence.
The S-series was displayed and demonstrated during SpaceFest 2019 out at Woomera, with both defence and civil space industry in attendance.
“SpaceFest 2019 marked the biggest system deployment yet for our Maverick S-series passive radar with a 64-channel SSA-sensor demonstration,” Dr Palmer said. “We deployed the system on the Woomera Test Range as part of the RAAF’s
SILENTIUM DEFENCE