Australia’s Department of Defence has launched its first science and technology collaboration with India to bolster undersea surveillance capabilities.
The three-year joint research project will develop advanced methods for the early detection and tracking of submarines and autonomous underwater vehicles. Under the agreement, Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) Information Sciences Division will work side by side with India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory to deliver cutting-edge maritime domain awareness technologies.
Central to the collaboration is the application of Towed Array Target Motion Analysis, a technique designed to enhance the accuracy, speed and seamless integration of existing undersea monitoring systems.
As Amanda Bessell, Discipline Leader in DSTG’s Information Sciences Division, explains, “Target Motion Analysis refers to a suite of tracking algorithms that process sensor data to infer the position, course and speed of a moving object.”
By refining these algorithms for towed-array sensors, the teams hope to deliver more robust and interoperable surveillance solutions.
‘we need to harness the best minds in innovation, science and technology to build new capabilities, to innovate at greater pace, and to strengthen our strategic partnerships.’
“The hydrophones work together to listen to the undersea environment from various directions,” Dr Arulampalam said.
“The sound signal is passed through a signal processor, which analyses, filters and detects underwater acoustic signals emitted from maritime targets.”
The combination of the Target Motion Analysis with the towed array system is intended to manage noise corruption and explore possible performance improvements.
The joint project will put novel algorithms to the test, using the strengths and shared knowledge of the two countries.
“The project arrangement will involve the sharing of ideas, investigation trials, algorithm demonstrations and performance analysis,”
Dr Arulampalam said.
With the scope of the underwater battlespace changing, including the increased use of autonomous vehicles, improving surveillance capabilities is a priority.
“The output of this research program has the potential to guide the development of future algorithmic directions for our undersea combat system surveillance technologies,” Chief Information Sciences Division, Suneel Randhawa, said.
Harnessing international partnerships enables Defence to access a greater range of expertise, infrastructure and technical data to help address mutual problems and deliver innovative technologies.
“We need to harness the best minds in innovation, science and technology to build new capabilities, to innovate at a greater pace, and to strengthen our strategic partnerships,”
Mr Randhawa said.
This project is the latest milestone in increasing maritime domain awareness cooperation between Australia and India.
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