Australia Spending A$ 100M on New Naval Networking

HMAS Anzac(click to view full) The Australian Defence Force’s ability to successfully conduct maritime operations is highly dependent on the exchange of operational information between ships, aircraft and land units. To make that goal more of a reality, the Australian government recently announced a pair of initiatives that will spend A$ 100 million to modernize communications aboard a number of its vessels. Technical priorities will include transitioning to packet-based switching (IP) networks, wide-area networking, and improved satellite communications. The government notes that this move is a significant step in its modernization plan towards Network-Centric Warfare (NCW) capability. These projects will allow deployed ships to establish computer-based wide area networks at sea via broadband satellite communication et. al., allowing Navy to rapidly move information around its ships, share tactical information, communicate with headquarters and allies, and improve quality of life provisions for sailors by improving their email and internet access capabilities so they can stay in touch with loved ones. So, what are the projects, what’s going on, what kind of follow-up buys are expected, and which vessels are affected? HMAS Manoora LPA (click to view full) Australia’s Department of Defence announced that ADI Limited has been selected as the preferred […]