Australia is to formalise a new 25-year framework agreement on missile defence programmes with the USA during annual bilateral security talks in Washington in early July.
Australia's defence minister Robert Hill says the initial focus will be on stepping up existing research and development work on sensor fusion technologies related to ballistic missile detection and tracking by Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organisation. This will be followed by advanced experimentation using Australia's Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN).
The USA is particularly interested in the use of the JORN radar "because we were the country that went ahead with the further development of that capability when others didn't", says Hill. "As the global strategic environment is changed, it is now a very valuable technology."
Longer-term projects include the potential outfitting of Australia's planned air warfare destroyers to enable the engagement of theatre ballistic missiles.
Source: Flight International