You’re invited to take a look inside the ‘secret’ Defence Science and Technology Group laboratories in Fishermans Bend tomorrow and Thursday.
Access will be tightly controlled so it will take a bit of planning. This isn’t your regular media call where you can just turn up. This is Defence…. there will be forms, you’ll need ID, serial numbers of your kit and other complications.
But we have stories for your consideration: some for now, some for later.
These more on each of these below.
Adding 10 per cent to the life of Australia’s F/A-18 fighter jets
See an aircraft wing being put through its paces (a bit like the IKEA test rig for chairs). File footage of F/A-18s in action available.
Testing acoustic tiles for Australia’s stealth submarines
See tiles for present and future submarines being tested in the water tank. File footage of Collins Class submarines available.
Australia’s most flexible Defence flight simulator
See and fly in one of the simulators at the Air Operations Simulation Centre.
Can body armour be worn in the jungle?
See a sweating manikin marching through the tropical heat and humidity. Try on the body armour. File footage of jungle training available.
The following stories are less visual but you’re welcome to take a look.
Making a Bushmaster truck disappear
See lab samples of basic electrochromic materials. File footage available of Bushmasters and other vehicles in action.
Developing autonomous technology to explore and map ‘around the corner’
See how to map a simulated urban environment.
Alternative Fuels Research
Could jets and tanks be powered with fuels from plants, waste fats, even donuts?
Here’s more information about access, the stories, and some background on past work at the laboratories since they opened during WWII.
More on the stories…
Adding 10 per cent to the life of Australia’s F/A-18 fighter jets
See an aircraft wing being put through its paces (a bit like the IKEA test rig for chairs). File footage of F/A-18s in action available
Defence scientists were asked to confirm that it was safe to keep flying the F/A-18s beyond their original service life rating of 6,000 hours (about 30 years of normal use). Would the aircraft be safe? Or would cracking become a danger?
The team put the vital parts of an F/A-18 into a test rig and put it through its paces day after day. The result – the planes can keep flying – keeping pilots safe, and saving hundreds of millions of dollars. You’ll see the wing test rig at work – just like IKEA testing their furniture, but a bit more serious.
Talent: Robert Boykett, Geoff Swanton
Testing acoustic tiles for Australia’s stealth submarines
See tiles for present and future submarines being tested in the water tank. File footage of Collins Class submarines available
The Collins Class submarines are amongst the quietest, stealthiest subs in the world and this allows them to propel through the ocean without being detected by sonar systems. Special sound-deadening (anechoic) coatings on submarine hulls contribute to the increasing stealth capability of modern subs.
The design, manufacture and performance of anechoic tiles (including their ability to sustain harsh operation conditions and not fall off during missions) has been traditionally the focus of DST research. Now DST are developing a new generation of acoustics tiles for potential use on Australia’s new submarine, the Shortfin Barracuda.
Talent: Alex Skvortsov, Geoff Hugo, Jeffrey Seers
Australia’s most flexible Defence flight simulator
Fly in one of the simulators at the Air Operations Simulation Centre.
Flying the jet is just the start of the job for a modern fighter pilot.
Air operations are complex. They can involve dozens of aircraft supported by aerial flight commanders, traffic controllers, and ground staff.
That makes real life training incredibly expensive. Even simulator training is complex and labour intensive. So DST researchers are developing new approaches to training teams in air operations.
The Centre can also help the Air Force work out the best ways to crew new aircraft and operate systems.
Talent: Simon Parker, Maria Vukovic, Graeme Simpkin
Can body armour be worn in the jungle?
See a sweating manikin marching through the tropical heat and humidity. Try on the body armour. File footage of jungle training available
How long could you walk through a tropical rainforest wearing body armour?
Australian soldiers regularly train and work in hot environments, but the body armour that soldiers wear was designed for urban operations undertaken in the hot and dry climate of Afghanistan.
So would the current body armour increase the risk of heat injuries in a humid jungle environment?
Defence science researchers worked with 39 infantry soldiers over a two-week period at the Army Jungle Training Centre in Far North Queensland. They measured the thermal strain and heat injury risk as well as the usability and functionality of the body armour.
The field work was backed up by the mannequin back in Melbourne. They found that wearing body armour in a jungle environment did not increase the risk of heat injuries. They also found that the Velcro straps were too noisy.
Talent: Alison Fogarty. File footage of soldiers in training available.
Making a Bushmaster truck disappear
See lab samples of basic electrochromic materials. File footage available of Bushmasters and other vehicles in action.
Vivienne Wheaton wants to make Army vehicles invisible – wherever they are. Her vision is of trucks that automatically sense their backgrounds and change colour as they move, for example from the bush to the city. Research at theUniversity of South Australia is supporting this goal. Professor Peter Murphy will demonstrate some samples of the colour-changing materials produced by the university lab.
Talent: Vivienne Wheaton, Professor Peter Murphy (University of South Australia)
Developing autonomous technology to explore and map ‘around the corner’
See how to map a simulated urban environment
Using autonomous technology to scout out and map hazardous urban environments following a disaster or a crisis, improving the safety of Australian soldiers and helping them to more quickly understand the disaster area and support humanitarian needs.
Two students from RMIT and Swinburne are assisting in the research.
Talent: Simon Ng and Jennifer Palmer
Alternative Fuels Research
Could jets and tanks be powered with fuels from plants, waste fats, even donuts?
Meet the alternate fuels research team who can tell you about the intricacies of getting it right when it comes to fuelling the ADF’s aircraft.
Talent: Paul Rawson, David Evans
About Defence Science and Technology Group (DST Group)
DST Group is the Australian Government’s lead agency responsible for applying science and technology to safeguard Australia.
It is Australia’s second largest publicly funded research agency after CSIRO.
Its annual budget is approximately $408 million and it employs approximately 2,300 staff, predominantly scientists, engineers, IT specialists and technicians. Around 800 are based at Fishermans Bend.
See more at: www.dst.defence.gov.au/discover-dsto
About Fishermans Bend
The Fishermans Bend site was established in 1940 for aeronautical research, initially as the Division of Aeronautics within CSIR which later became CSIRO. In 1949 it was incorporated into the first of a series of defence science organisations which are now known as Defence Science and Technology Group.
Defence scientists at Fishermans Bend have played major roles supporting the defence of Australia including:
- the Nulka ship missile decoy that protects Australian, US and Canadian ships from missile attack and has earned billions of export dollars for Australia.
- a series of studies that have helped Australia safely fly its military aircraft including:
- fatigue tests of 222 Mustang wings in the 1950s
- advice on the F-111 aircraft from 1968 to 2010 when the aircraft was withdrawn – DST research contributed to Australia flying the F-111 long after it had been retired overseas
- full-scale testing of F/A-18 Hornet started in 1995 and led to 24,000 of test ‘flying’
- assessment of F/A-18 gearboxes, led to US redesign and saving millions in operating costs.
See many more achievements at: www.dst.defence.gov.au/discover-dsto/our-innovations