SA company Silentium Defence has been awarded a $2 million contract to continue development of its MAVERICK M-Series passive radar for land tactical situational awareness.
The contract, an extension of Silentium Defence’s successful Phase 1 Army Innovation Day contract for research and development of passive radar systems for land tactical environments, will see the company deploy its GEN-3 ‘MAVERICK M-series’ passive radar system in the field to provide base situational awareness and support capability for dismounted operation.
Passive radar uses existing energy in an environment as its transmission source, for example, FM radio or broadcast television signals. As it does not emit, it does not create a radiation hazard, making it deployable in even the most densely populated environments.
Unlike traditional active radar systems, passive radar does not require spectrum allocation to operate which makes it quicker and more cost-effective to deploy in a world where spectrum is increasingly expensive and elusive to secure.
“The theatre of operation is more congested and contested than ever before with more objects in the air, on the ground and at sea," Dr James Palmer, CEO Silentium Defence said. “The ability to detect, track and make informed decisions about those objects in real-time is critical to help mitigate risk and increase troop survivability.
“We have harnessed the power of passive radar to develop that capability for Defence. Our MAVERICK M-series passive radar delivers reliable, persistent situational awareness in any weather and varying terrain, without advertising the user’s presence."
“This is a game-changer for Defence as it allows the ADF and its allies to see without being seen.”
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price announced the Defence Innovation Hub contract with Silentium Defence today.
“The government is investing in innovation to support a more capable ADF,” Minister Price said. “Under this contract, Silentium Defence will continue to advance its land-tactical passive radar technology expected to enhance situational awareness for our troops when deployed on operations.”
The contract follows on from a previous Defence Innovation Hub contract, and will allow Silentium Defence to demonstrate the technology that it has developed to date.
“It is great to see small organisations like Silentium Defence developing their ideas and technology with assistance from the Defence Innovation Hub,” Minister Price said.