Governor inspects submarine detection technology at L3Harris

The Governor was given a tour of the L3Harris facility in Fremantle. L3Harris is an agile global aerospace and Defence technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers’ mission-critical needs. They provide advanced Defence and commercial technologies across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains.

Eve Clark, Managing Director, Scott Elson, Technology Director, and Deborah Barnett, Business Development Director at Mission Systems Australia, L3Harris greeted the Governor and provided an update on their work designing personal protective equipment for Navy in light of COVID-19, as well as their role in providing Electronic Mission Systems Integration, Sustainment and Training and Underwater Signal Intelligence.

Starting with the autonomous boats used for targeting during naval exercises, Mr Elson explained how they tie in with how L3Harris deliver complex system integration and sustainment programs across maritime domain awareness, electronic mission systems and undersea communications which make them a partner of choice in the provision of world class maritime, land and situational awareness systems.

Next stop was the Wave Gliders or “Yellow Surfboards”. This technology uses a unique system that allows the fins to drop down into the water and uses the wave energy produced to swim its self around the ocean.

It doesn’t required a power source to stay at sea and can maintain in position using this technology. It can carry electronic payloads to allow communication or underwater tracking and surveillance creating a long life sonar buoy able to be deployed for months at a time.

Lastly, the Governor was introduced to the engineers looking at the autonomous underwater detection and surveillance systems. A series of these devices are able to be deployed from a submarine into an area of contested waters and then the sub can return to a safe location where it can continue operations in a safe environment. This leaves the devices to do the autonomous detection and transmission of wireless data back through a series of the devices to the sub.

The first generation systems nicknamed HAIL (Hydroacoustic Information Link) has been in service for over 15 years. MASQ is their latest signalling technology providing the foundation for the next generation of reliable TWC data systems, capable of being deployed on sub-sea platforms operating at speed and depth.

L3Harris is committed to delivering and sustaining the ADF electronic missions systems to meet the specific requirements and threats under the rapid change of world class technology along with undersea surveillance, network and acoustic communications applications including submarine communications, wireless command and control, data and file transfer.

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