The University of Adelaide, the Department of Defence and BAE Systems Australia have announced the establishment of the JORN Open Innovation Network (JOIN) Centre for Advanced Defence Research in High Frequency Technologies (CADR-HFT).
The Centre’s primary purpose is to develop the highly specialised workforce that is needed to operate Australia’s Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN), an Over-The-Horizon-Radar (OTHR) network that operates using high frequency (HF) technologies.
JORN provides wide area surveillance of the country’s northern approaches, supporting the Australian Defence Force’s air and maritime operations, border protection, disaster relief and search and rescue operations.
"The JOIN Centre for Advanced Defence Research in HF Technologies will be a focus for some of the University’s
best minds who will work on cutting-edge science and technology," said Professor Peter Høj, Vice-Chancellor and President, University of Adelaide.
“The new Centre will sustain a skilled workforce for a sovereign capability and promote innovation to support JORN
and other defence projects involving high-frequency technology.”
Staff recruitment will include two professorial chair positions: a BAE-funded Chair in HF Systems at the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering; and a Defence funded Chair in Space and Ionospheric Physics at the School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences.
JORN is currently being upgraded and maintained by BAE Systems and its network of industry partners. The ten-year upgrade will improve aircraft detection sensitivity and extend the life of JORN beyond 2040.