On Feb 28, Australian Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon
Christopher Pyne MP, announced
the latest investments of Defence Innovation Hub.
The 5 innovation contracts will sustain jobs across the
Australian defence industry and innovation sector and help to give Australian Armed
Forces the edge in battle.
The Defence Innovation Hub is a key initiative of the Australian
Government bringing industry and Defence together to undertake collaborative
innovation activities from concept through to introduction into service.
The five innovation contracts announced are worth A$5.3
million in total. They include:
(1)
A$2.3 million for a BAE Systems Australia
project to explore the potential use of laser technology to detect low
intensity signals.
(2)
A$1 million for a Zangold project to develop a
portable improvised explosive detector to assist with the detection of homemade
explosives, chemical warfare agents, narcotics and gases.
(3)
A$779,000 for Nova Defence to explore the
development of a low-cost, high-speed direct mobile ground target that could be
used as a realistic direct target for air and ground based defence systems.
(4)
A$770,000 for XKG Technologies to explore the
development of a more easily transportable and efficient modular hybrid power
generation system.
(5)
A$441,000 for Data61 to continue the development
of their multi-award winning Cross Domain Desktop Compositor technology,
allowing users to view and work across multiple Defence networks from a single
monitor, while maintaining the integrity of each network.
BAE Systems Australia is the first defence prime company to
be awarded a contract by the Defence Innovation Hub since it was launched in
December 2016 as part of the Defence Industry Policy Statement.
According to Minister Pyne, the defence capabilities of
Australia rely on its capacity to develop new tools, systems and approaches to
managing emerging regional and global threats.
“Providing our troops with the latest in innovative defence
technologies will ensure we remain resilient to these threats, and our defence
industry plays a crucial part in helping us achieve this,” Minister Pyne said.
As the Australian Government invests A$200 billion to
modernise the country’s defence capabilities, the Defence Innovation Hub
continues to receive an enthusiastic reception from businesses, large and
small, and research organisations from across Australia.
Industry and research organisations can continue
to submit proposals through the Defence Innovation Portal at the Centre
for Defence Industry Capability.