CANBERRA---$13.1m funding is going to companies in Australia for defence related projects, Dr Brendan Nelson, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence announced today.
The funding has been made available under the fifth round of the Capability and Technology Demonstrator (CTD) Program. The CTD Program is funded by Defence for up to $20m each year, to provide more rapid means of demonstrating the application of high technology in support of priority Defence capabilities.
Dr Nelson said the program was first funded in July 1998 and presently comprises 13 CTDs.
"A total of 48 proposals, including 43 from industry, were submitted for this year's CTD round. Of these, four industry and one Defence proposal have been selected as the most promising, at a total value of $13.1m," Dr. Nelson said.
The five projects are:
** Hawker De Havilland. Joint Direct Attack Munition - Extended Range Demonstrator (JDAM-ER). The objective of this project is to increase the range and accuracy of free-fall weapons by adding fold out wings and a guidance kit. The project has the potential to lead to the development of smart extended-range weapons with significant Australian content and export potential.
** DSTO/Metal Storm/Tenix Defence Systems. Advanced Individual Combat Weapon (AICW). The aim of this project is to demonstrate a field deployable Advanced Individual Combat Weapon (AICW) system based on the integration of Commercial off-the-Shelf products for enhancing surveillance, communications, target detection and engagement.
** Auspace Limited. Satellite Communications (SATCOM) Modem. The aim of this project is to develop and demonstrate a programmable SATCOM network modem that provides the Australian Defence Organisation (ADO) with highly bandwidth-efficient and survivable communications.
** Ebor Computing. Digital Radio Frequency Surveillance System. This project will develop and demonstrate a system capable of performing continuous surveillance of radio frequency (RF) communication channels. The system aims to bring together the latest hardware and software techniques to provide a tool for detecting and processing RF transmissions. The project combines the expertise available in several specialised areas to produce a leading-edge system to support radio frequency surveillance in the ADF.
** Filtronic Components Australia. Solid State Power Amplifier. This project will develop a broadband microwave high power amplifier, using solid state devices. The solid state amplifier could potentially replace the Travelling Wave Tube (TWT) amplifiers currently used in electronic countermeasures such as jammers and towed decoys. The equipment will have in-country support and significant export potential.
Dr Nelson congratulated the successful companies in securing CTD funding and encouraged other Australian industries to participate in the program.
"Anyone can propose a CTD. The program is open to any worthwhile proposal. It allows Defence and Australian industry to take and share risks and rewards in exploring useful technology developments," Dr Nelson said.
Government Funds Projects to Boost Defence Capability
