QinetiQ and Forcys have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen Australia’s sovereign capability in maritime assurance, with the hope of ensuring undersea and autonomous systems are safe, reliable, and ready for operation.
“This partnership represents a stepchange in how we can deliver sovereign maritime assurance for Australia and its partners," Chief Executive Australia, QinetiQ, Corry Neale, stated.
“Australia’s security and national interests depend on being able to understand and trust how these systems perform, and as the undersea environment becomes more contested and technology moves faster, Defence needs the ability to test, evaluate and prove new capabilities at home.”
The partnership has brought QinetiQ’s experience in defence Test and Evaluation, mission assurance and range management, with Forcys’ underwater sensing and communication technologies. Together, the two companies will develop and operate advanced tools that assure how well maritime platforms and technologies perform, from early design through to real-world use.
“The ability of deployable ranges to track underwater assets with precision will provide the Australian Defence Force with the flexibility to test and evaluate their assets in environments that provide the greatest chance of operational success," Regional Manager Asia Pacific, Forcys, Sean Leydon, said.
“Forcys, together with their technology partners Sonardyne and Chelsea Technologies, brings over 50 years of experience in the field of underwater tracking. We look forward to partnering with QinetiQ in providing underwater communications and deployed range operations to support our customers with the introduction of ever-increasing numbers of autonomous underwater vehicles.”
Under this agreement, QinetiQ and Forcys will work together to deliver next generation deployable underwater ranges and related test systems. These are essential in enabling Australia’s ability to measure, verify, and improve the performance of submarines, autonomous vessels, and other undersea technologies.
This collaboration will support the Australian Government’s Defence Strategic Review (DSR) and AUKUS Pillar 2 objectives.