Force level EW pursued by Bunyip
Defence is starting to develop an integrated, coherent approach to the development of its EW capabilities in all three environments - sea, air and land; Project Bunyip looks set to modernise the ADF's EW capabilities significantly, and may provide a welcome boost for Australia's EW industry also.
Project Bunyip (DEF 224) seeks to provide the ADF with an integrated force level electronic warfare (EW) capability to support operational and tactical commanders.
Force level EW might be described as the offensive or defensive application of EW in such a manner as to have effects beyond the immediate self-protection of a platform, ie where it is used to protect or attack a group of assets such as a fleet of ships or aircraft, or a unit of soldiers.
Clearly, force level EW is not about detecting and defeating terminal threats such as guided weapons launched against expensive platforms; such a task comes under the heading of EW self protection. Force level EW is concerned with collecting information on a tactical level and attacking an adversary's capability to do the same. It very often involves transmitting the information gained to where it can be analysed and passed on to where it will do the most good. A joint approach has been taken with this project to maximise the usefulness of the capability and the information acquired using it.
EW is a force multiplier for operational and tactical commanders through it's ability to provide threat warning, offensive support and protection. Force level EW can be used to locate an adversary by determining the position of equipment making electronic emissions. A good example of this occurred in the lead-up to the battle of Long Tan during the Vietnam War when an airborne radio direction finding system (a DSTO technology demonstrator brought into service) was used to track the movements and position of a Viet Cong radio for 14 days prior to the engagement.
Enemy intentions may be discerned through intercepting and monitoring communications, or "reading the mail". An opposition force can be put in peril or rendered less potent via electronic attacks on defensive systems such as radars, jamming communications systems and the delivery of false intelligence using a host of radio frequency techniques.
Activities such as monitoring, searching, direction finding and signal interception are passive and are referred to as electronic warfare support (ES), while jamming, deception and neutralisation are active and come under the banner of electronic attack (EA).
The state of the ADF's current capability has been described to ADM as ty
One of the keys to achieving success with this project, within the available budget, is determining a specification that delivers an affordable balance of communications and non-communications force level EW systems across the three Services. Such a balance becomes more crucial when it is considered that the ADF requires sufficient force level EW assets to support an integrated and balanced joint force able to sustain one major deployment and undertake a lesser deployment at the same time, as specified in last year's White Paper.
Bunyip is currently a three-phase project. Phase one is both funded and under way, and consists of two studies; a capability definition study and a project definition study for phase 2B. Phase 2A is also funded and is an interim upgrade and life-of-type extension to remedy high priority capability deficiencies. Phase 2B, as defined by the studies, will comprise the phased acquisition of the full capability that will be available for the support of concurrent operations between 2003 and 2009. It is envisaged that phase 3 will be an incremental technology enhancement significant enough to maintain a credible capability.
Unlike the mythical creature that the project is named after, this Bunyip is real and industry can expect to hear from it as early as the first quarter of next year when the $30 to $50 million expenditure estimated for phase 2A is expected to begin. The year of decision for phase 2B is scheduled for 2003/04 and it is estimated that between $100 and $150 million will be invested. Phase three will not be decided until 2009/10 and the budget is expected to be between $150 and $200 million.
While no further phases are officially planned at this stage, the rolling process of acquisition, enhancement, upgrade and replacement of equipment of this nature is, realistically, a never ending task. While the level of expenditure on new equipment may reduce over time, increased spending on enhancements and upgrades will likely increase.
Force level EW is very much threat-driven, meaning that advances in technology, its availability to an adversary and his potential to make use of it represents an ever-changing dynamic which must constantly be addressed to avoid a capability shortfall. An ongoing, incremental, fast and flexible procurement and enhancement processes is a must, even though this can see a blurring of the lines between capability development, acquisition and support.
Australian industry involvement opportunities will include products such as ES sensors, EA systems and associated through life support. Successful systems integration will be crucial to the success of Bunyip and the supply of such services is expected to represent a significant opportunity for Australian industry.
The industry requirements will be framed with the underlying intent of developing and maintaining sufficient capability within Australian industry to undertake the range of through-life maintenance and support activities.
By Daniel Cotterill, Canberra