Excellence in maritime manufacturing – Defence Innovation Hub celebrates successes

Today @AuManufacturing’s editorial series Excellence in maritime manufacturing coinciding with the Indo Pacific 2022 International Maritime Exposition looks at success supported by the Defence Innovation Hub.

The Defence Innovation Hub is taking the opportunity of the Indo Pacific Maritime Expo to celebrate some of its successes which support more than 2,000 jobs across Australia.

With more than 80 per cent of the hub’s contracts awarded to innovative Australian SMEs, the assistant secretary defence capability and innovation, Andrew Hodgkinson said companies such as Sentient Vision Systems were driving the development of cutting-edge technologies to enhance capability.

Sentient was awarded the Indo Pacific 2022 SME Innovation Award for its ViDAR (Visual Detection and Ranging) Optical Radar Pod, which can assist maritime search and surveillance operations from helicopters.

Sentient was recently awarded a $1.74 million contract to further enhance the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of its technology.

Hodgkinson said: “Since the Defence Innovation Hub began operations in 2016, many technologies developed under its banner have either resulted in a contract with a defence acquisition programme, been employed in Defence training exercises, or are undergoing final stages of testing and evaluation.

“Innovation is key to Defence meeting the challenges of the changing strategic environment, and potential acquisition pathways are considered as an integral part of the evaluation process for every Defence Innovation Hub proposal.”

Another hub maritime partner, EM Solutions won export orders with a number of NATO country Navies in 2021 to provide its new primary satellite communication terminals.

EM Solutions has now been issued with a limited tender for the development of the SEA1442 Phase 5 Primary and Alternate satellite communications system, to be delivered for the RAN’s major ship fleet.

The Defence Innovation Hub is open year-round for the submission of new proposals.

@AuManufacturing’s editorial series Excellence in maritime manufacturing is brought to you with the support of BAE Systems Australia.

Picture: news.defence.gov.au

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