AUSTRALIA is developing the equivalent of a ‘black box’ for combat soldiers, already dubbed the Fight Recorder.

In a collaboration between the Australian Defence Force and industry, the Federal Government is allocating $700,000 from the Next Generation Technologies Fund to two industry partners – Myriota and IMeasureU – who will fully develop the product.

Defence Industry Minister, Christopher Pyne said the Fight Recorder would be a soldier-worn system aimed at capturing valuable data on the battlefield, and would act as an emergency beacon to reduce the time taken to reach and treat battlefield casualties

“Survival rates for battlefield casualties are closely tied to response times and the Fight Recorder will enable Defence to quickly locate and treat casualties,” Mr Pyne said. 

“In addition to serving as a location beacon, the data captured by the Fight Recorder could be used to inform the design and performance of soldier equipment and protective wear.

“Start-up telecommunications company, Myriota and wearable technology company IMeasureU, were selected from 47 quality industry and university applicants from across Australia and New Zealand to develop the Fight Recorder.

“Defence will work closely with these companies to help deliver this world-first innovation. Once again our local small and medium enterprises have demonstrated they are well placed to deliver Defence innovation,” he said.

When fully developed, the Fight Recorder could provide benefits in other physically demanding occupations including emergency services and law enforcement.

The funding comes from the Next Generation Technologies Fund which complements the Defence Innovation Hub launched last year, as the core of the new Defence Innovation System outlined in the Defence Industry Policy Statement.

These two innovation research and development programs, together with the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, deliver on the Federal Government’s $1.6 billion commitment to grow Australia's defence industry and innovation sector, Mr Pyne said.

www.business.gov.au/cdic

www.defence.gov.au

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AUSTRALIAN companies are being invited to join forces with Defence contractor Raytheon to participate in the new Short Range Ground Based Air Defence project.

Defence Industry Minister, Christopher Pyne has launched Raytheon Australia’s LAND 19 Phase 7B Supplier Portal in a bid to get more local companies involved. He said the portal would allow Australian companies to register interest in areas such as component manufacture, assembly and test, systems integration and in-country sustainment.

Worth up to $2 billion, the project will deliver Army’s future Short Range Ground Based Air Defence (SRGBAD) capability based on the proven National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) which is fielded in seven nations, including the United States. 

The system provides ground based air defence against fixed wing aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial systems.

“We want to create as many local jobs as we can and Raytheon’s response has a strong focus on identifying opportunities for Australian companies to participate in the project,” Mr Pyne said.

“This portal is the first step in engaging local industry, in particular, small and medium enterprises, to develop the partnerships needed to deliver a world leading SRGBAD capability.

“It’s fantastic the process will also identify export opportunities for Australian companies to support future NASAMS programs internationally as part of the global supply chain.”

Defence and Raytheon are already investigating mounting missile launchers on Thales’ Australian made Hawkei vehicle and using Canberra based CEA Technologies’ radar.

Raytheon will conduct a series of industry showcases in every capital city later this year. This will give companies which have registered on the portal the opportunity to discuss their capabilities with Raytheon.

The cut-off date to register on the portal is October 25.

Capital city meeting dates will soon be released..

https://supplierportal.raytheon.com.au

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BRISBANE-BASED Ferra Engineering has been contracted to manufacture sub-assemblies for the German-assembled Phoenice platform, Thales’ tactical navigation radar system for submarines.

Ferra Engineering specialises in the design, manufacture, assembly and test of defence and aerospace sub-assemblies, both locally and internationally. It has won manufacturing contracts for components ranging from missile systems to submarines to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter – an impressive leap from Ferra’s origins as an auto parts maker.

Ferra will deliver two systems to one of Thales Germany’s existing European customers, with substantial potential future sales.

The program is expected to have flow on benefits to Ferra’s supply chain, with more than 15 Australian based suppliers engaged to deliver the project. The project is expected to create 25 jobs within Ferra Engineering itself. 

Ferra is the latest manufacturer to benefit from the Federal Government’s Global Supply Chain program, which has so far seen 148 companies awarded contracts totalling more than $900 million.

Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne said, “Ferra’s success recognises a significant shift from automotive parts in 2002 to the innovative advanced manufacturing company Ferra is today, supplying complex assemblies globally.

“The project will result in the creation of new positions and the up-skilling of staff to manufacture, assemble and test what is an extremely complex assembly.

“Those benefits will be realised across the Australian defence industry as some work will be performed within Ferra’s extensive supply chain around Australia.

“The signing of this contract is a strong example of Australian small to medium enterprises building their capabilities and creating long lasting export relationships,” he said.

These Australian Government’s Global Supply Chain Program, delivered by the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, aims to increase Australian defence industry’s international competitiveness and facilitate opportunities into the supply chains of multi-national defence companies, Mr Pyne said.

www.business.gov.au/cdic 

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By Richard Collins >>
 

IT IS EASY to look at an industry like composites and quickly dismiss it as slow-moving and of no real interest to you or your company, but the chances are you would be wrong.

At the top-level, there are several assumptions that remain correct: the total growth rate is not dramatic, volume production of synthetic fibres used in composite parts is dominated by glass fibre (research organisation IDTechEx calculates this to be 95 percent), and that nobody sees carbon-fibre as a futuristic material anymore.

But, looking beneath this basic top level there is a wealth of innovation, supply chain turbulence, and specific growth areas. These are all analysed in a new report from IDTechEx Research, Composites 2017-2027: Innovations, Opportunities, Market Forecasts. 

OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS SUPPLY CHAIN

The route to a fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) composite part has never been straightforward, with multiple steps needing to come together. At each step of the supply chain there are multiple innovations, extending from the fibres and their precursors through to the manufacturing processes and their associated industries. 

IDTechEx has investigated every step through primary interviews with key players and provide comprehensive analysis of the key changes in each. This includes alternate fibre feedstocks, plasma oxidation ovens for fibre processing, thin-ply technology for fabrics and prepregs, thermoplastic epoxy and bio-sourced resins for the matrix, 3D printing of composite parts and tools, in-situ foaming of sandwich core materials and many more.

Beyond the manufacturing, there are opportunities, not just for the traditional end-user, but also in how these parts are repaired and increasingly important how they are recycled or disposed of at the end of their functioning life. What is more, these technical challenges are being confronted all the way from multi-billion dollar companies through to start-ups and university research, meaning this seemingly slow and steady industry is one that is rife with opportunities.

HOT PROPERTIES

The usual headline-grabbing property is the improved strength-to-weight ratio of these lightweight composite parts. This will continue to enhance their ever-increasing relevance for the automotive and aerospace industry, as lower emissions (ICE) and improved mileage (electric) are required. Lightweighting is the one area that both propulsion sides are singing from the same hymn sheet about.

Important additional properties also play a crucial role in their successful uptake and allow these materials to move into unseen directions. This could be their superior stiffness, corrosion resistance, or temperature stability.

Take CFRP (CARBON-frp) as an example. It has long been used, and is very much the industry standard, in certain application sectors. However, beyond these core sectors, newer areas including rail transport, civil engineering remediation, spars in wind turbines, prosthetics, UAVs, and pressure vessels are all looking at this as their needs and the material maturity start to align. 

Alternatively, if the properties or price are not currently to the end-user’s standards then hybrid parts are becoming increasingly viable options. There are numerous ways that dissimilar materials or fibres can be combined to optimise the product with an ever-increasing number of success stories.    

NEXT GENERATION COMPOSITES

Although carbon fibre may not be the material of the future anymore, this industry is already showing its hand as to what might be.

In the report, IDTechEx predicts that continuous and chopped ceramic fibres and their role in CMCs are right at the cusp of some very significant expansion (10-year compound annual growth rate for the fibres is 27 percent is predicted). 

These have so far been trapped in the usual catch-22: manufacturing and cost advancements cannot occur without scaling, but scaling cannot occur without orders.

 The slow growth and closed-door early adopter industries they have been operating in will finally start to come out of research and qualification to hit large-scale production volumes.

Even more nascent are the roles of continuous ceramic fibre tows and monofilaments in MMCs, which are accurately described as ‘mature technologies in embryonic markets’ – and the impact pure boron fibres may have in the long-term future.

It is also expected that the next-generation materials will start our progression away from ‘dumb’ structural parts towards multifunctional products. Functionality will be incorporated in fibre composites for energy storage, sensor technology, energy harvesting or many more reasons.

All these key next-generation advancements are analysed in the IDTechEx Research report Composites 2017-2027: Innovations, Opportunities, Market Forecasts.

www.IDTechEx.com.

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