Defence is seeking new capabilities able to operate and control the electromagnetic spectrum as part of the Modernisation of Maritime Electronic Warfare (MMEW) project. Taking in a broad swath of the spectrum, ranging from electro-optical through to infrared and ultraviolet, the systems will provide the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) with a wide range of sensing and effecting capabilities able to perform a variety of missions.
Among the shipboard missions envisioned for the new and upgraded systems are laser detection and tracking, enhanced maritime domain sensing, the delivery of non-kinetic and non-lethal effects against manned and unmanned Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, as well as the ability to bring down Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) using high energy shipboard lasers should the need arrive.
These capabilities will help address a variety of mission sets including force protection, targeting, deterrence, sea control, maritime force protection, and military security operations in collaboration with the wider Australian Defence Force (ADF).
The project, which is currently at the Request for Information (RFI) stage, will roll out upgrades incrementally across the Navy’s fleet. This approach will allow “increasing levels of complexity, system automation and maturity” to be delivered over time all the while increasing the fleet's capability in the short-to-medium term.
Short-term efforts will focus on augmenting and upgrading current electronic warfare (EW) systems which are already deployed to the fleet with currently available technologies. To accommodate the upgrades existing EW systems will also be integrated into a new common electromagnetic command and control (C2) system. New, bespoke systems, developed in the medium-to-long term will then be integrated into the established electromagnetic C2 system which will in-turn interface with ships own Combat Management Systems (CMS).
While the new capabilities are being rolled out, Defence will establish the necessary sustainment, development and support infrastructure to keep them “operationally viable” amid rapid technologically progress. This will be partially enabled through the ongoing collection analysis of operational data that will then be fed back into a simulation-driven “meshed” mission-planning and training environment.
All of the efforts to maintain operational viability will come under the umbrella of a “Continuous Capability Development and Delivery (C2D2)” enterprise that, in collaboration with the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), will help keep the RANs Electronic Warfare systems at the cutting edge.
Defence will also establish dedicated physical infrastructure to support the ongoing training, development and roll-out of new EW capabilities across the fleet. This will include mobile infrastructure which will enable development and training to be responsive to operational needs.
To enable the desired continuous capability improvement Defence is seeking information about technologies with varying levels of maturity. These include technologies that have barely achieved Technological Readiness (TR) Level One, the demonstration of basic concepts, through to mature TR seven, eight and nine technologies.
The MMEW Request for Information will close on November 30th, 2023. Virtual briefings for industry are currently scheduled for August 30th and September 27th.