Electronic Warfare: Daronmont eyes EW and radar opportunities | ADM May 08

1 May 2008

Melbourne-based SME Daronmont Technologies is starting to make its reputation in the Electronic Warfare domain, having first come to the industry's notice as a radar manufacturer.

By Gregor Ferguson Sydney

Soon after this edition of ADM is published one of the most significant EW-related Capability & Technology Demonstrators (CTDs) undertaken in Australia will begin its demonstration phase.

This is the Integrated EW System CTD, in which Daronmont is a key player alongside task leader BAE Systems and Tenix Defence's Electronics Systems Division.

In Phase 1 of task 2 the company worked with DSTO as lead architect in a program to develop the concept, processes and models for a new Open Architecture (OA) which will simplify and speed up the integration of new sensors and effectors into existing and new maritime combat systems.

Daronmont also led development of the OA model which automatically generates the Interface Design Description (IDD) and Interface Description Language (IDL) which are the essential definitions of the OA interfaces.

The architecture developed under Phase 1 has been offered to Naval Systems Command which is studying its potential as a prototype OA architecture, or at least a design standard, for future EW integration on RAN surface combatants.

In Phase 2 BAE Systems Australia was the leader and Daronmont's role was to maintain the OA model developed under Phase 1, along with its Human-Machine Interface (HMI).

The company also provided and integrated elements of its Blue Owl communications ESM system as part of the overall Integrated EW System.

The BAE Systems contribution was its PRISM maritime ESM system, High-Accuracy Direction-Finder (DF) and Specific Emitter identification (SEI) systems along with an interface to its FURI unmanned air vehicle.

Tenix integrated a Low Probability of Intercept (LPI) detector and elements of its Cuttlefish EW system which is being developed under a separate CTD, Project Sea 1657.

The separate CTD project schedules prevented a full integration of Cuttlefish, but the fact that Australian industry and DSTO could develop an integrated, OA electronic warfare system incorporating so many advanced elements is a significant achievement, especially on such a relatively small budget.

Plug and play
Daronmont's contribution to this achievement is significant: its OA Model provides interfaces which enable near-'Plug and Play' functionality where a previously integrated element such as an ESM receiver is replaced with a different unit of similar functionality and performance.

The OA Model will require further development to accommodate a broader range of advanced EW equipment so doesn't offer complete plug and play functionality, the company points out, but does lay the foundations for doing so.

This is still a significant improvement on the current situation where integrating a new piece of EW equipment to an existing maritime combat system, or integrating an all-new combat system, can be a lengthy and risky task.

The company's credentials as an EW player in this context go back to its acquisition a decade ago of Hue Technologies; Hue's Shrike Comms ESM has been completely redeveloped from the ground up and is now in operational service with the ADF; its operational concept served as the basis of the Blue Owl sub-microwave Comms ESM system which in turn spawned the Kestrel system which is now in service aboard the Collins-class submarines.

Meanwhile Daronmont has developed considerable strength in the calibration of sub microwave Comms ESM systems generally.

From passive to active Daronmont's original claim to fame was as the sub-licensee (via Telstra Advanced Technologies) of DSTO's High Frequency Surface Wave Radar (HFSWR) system, which came to be known as SECAR, or Surface Wave Extended Coastal Area Radar.

The company spent considerable amount of its own money developing a system which it demonstrated to the Department of Defence and other agencies such as Coastwatch on Bathurst Island, off Darwin, during the late-1990s and early part of this century.

The company's persistence and SECAR's demonstrated potential led to a three year, $15 million trial in the Torres Strait, funded by defence and Coastwatch.

This ended last year and despite the promise shown by SECAR during its demonstration on Bathurst Island, the sensor failed to meet one critical Coastwatch user requirement: the ability to detect very small wooden boats, which is something HF radar is inherently unsuited for and which is an extremely difficult target for most sensor types.

Not surprisingly, this element of the trial has been considered unsuccessful and sceptics were quick to criticise the sensor without understanding its real strengths and limitations.

However, the Torres Strait trial also included a classified Defence element in which SECAR was evaluated against a range of other targets types, and also for its ability to be integrated with Defence's recognised operational picture.

This element of the trial was successful, and as a result Daronmont is now pursuing two very promising export opportunities, in Vietnam and Canada.

Overseas exposure
Vietnam is seeking a system to provide surveillance over its coastal fisheries.

The company has worked hard with the DMO's new Defence Export Unit (which has attracted high praise for its support, professionalism and work rate) to prepare for an in-country demonstration in the near future.

Vietnam's acquisition strategy is unusual and it's not clear yet when a source selection (from what is understood to be a limited list of contenders) will be made.

Canada in March published a Letter of Interest (LOI) for an HFSWR for coastal surveillance.

The country's equivalent of DSTO, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), is seeking expressions of interest from companies with capabilities and experience in "the design, development and testing of High Frequency Surface Wave Radar (HFSWR) technology for coastal surveillance applications".

Canada has a requirement for a persistent coastal surveillance system and is interested in HFSWR technology, but DRDC wants to run a Technology Demonstrator Program (TDP) to prove there are no RF interference issues associated with HF sensors.

Exactly when an HFSWR solution will be selected, when a trial will take place and under what sort of business arrangement isn't clear as yet. Daronmont's position in both programs is strengthened considerably by its experience in the Torres Strait.

The trial there taught the company a couple of important lessons.

Most importantly, positioning the radar is critical: an uncluttered field of view is as important as the correct separation between transmitter and receiver sites, in order to prevent interference which degrades sensor performance.

The site used in the Torres Strait was sub-optimal from both points of view: it was at best an awkward compromise based on available locations and access permission from the indigenous land-owners.

No better site was available, however, and the alternative was to cancel the trial, which neither Daronmont, Defence nor Coastwatch wished to do.

The trial did provide some good sensor performance data, and the networking aspects proved highly successful: a satellite and landline feed from the radar site went straight to the JORN Control Centre at RAAF Edinburgh, near Adelaide and from there to EASTROC at Williamtown.

A good deal of target track fusion was carried out there (ironically using the Raytheon Solipsys Multi-Source Correlator/Tracker (MSCT) and Tactical Display Framework (TDF) installed by Daronmont as part of a recent upgrade) and the processed radar data was passed on to Coastwatch's National Surveillance Centre in Canberra.

The classified portion of the trial seems to have confirmed SECAR's promise; certainly the enthusiasm of the DEU and the personal contribution of RADM Bryan Adams, who is the DEU's two-star naval adviser and capability advocate would seem to indicate the sensor has demonstrated considerable potential.

Closer to home it's uncertain at this stage what role SECAR could play in the ADF's own coastal surveillance program.

It lives somewhat in the shadow of the bigger, longer-range sky wave JORN sensor, so its likely applications probably lie in areas not yet covered by the ADF's considerable investment to date in enhanced surveillance capabilities.