Session 3.3f Update: Advanced Antenna Systems for Military Communications and ISR, and their Sovereign Manufacturability
Tracks
| Thursday, November 14, 2024 |
| 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM |
| Swan Room |
Details
Contributors: Karu P. Esselle, Dushmantha N. Thalakotuna, Manik Attygalle, Jeewani Kodithuwakkuge, Purna B. Samal, Khushboo Singh, (from UTS, I4H and DSTG)
Nearly all military wireless communications, reconnaissance, and surveillance systems have at least one advanced radio-frequency antenna system, in most cases one with a steerable antenna beam. A satellite communications terminal is a classic example.
We review several advanced antenna technologies that are used or have the potential to use in the near future in military communications and ISR systems, and assess them from the perspective of sovereign Australian manufacturability and vulnerability for disabling by adversaries.
Leveraging on the experience authors gained from 10+ defence-funded projects and 50+ other projects in this field, several relevant established state-of-the-art and emerging technologies will be included. Among them are reflector “dish” and flat-panel antenna technologies with mechanical steering (tilting and rotating), non-tilting flat-panel MetaSteering technology with mechanical rotation (spin), and electronically steered phased arrays with beamforming at digital, intermediate-frequency or radio-frequency stages.
From sovereign manufacturability perspective, the presentation includes what parts of these antenna subsystems can be manufactured in Australia with current manufacturing capabilities, what critical parts needs to be imported, and out of those what can be manufactured in other AUKUS countries, etc.
Another aspect includes asymmetrical advantages some innovative unconventional radio-frequency systems can bring to ADF and AUKUS for communications and ISR and denying communications and ISR to adversaries, for example, for communicating with minimal electromagnetic signature and disabling adversary communications and ISR capabilities in highly contested environments.
We will discuss what types of advanced and modern antenna technologies are more vulnerable to potential electronic warfare technologies that are available or likely to be developed by adversaries in the near future towards disabling military communications and ISR.
In military communications and some other military ISR applications, more than one antenna technology can address the key technical requirements and this discussion will potentially help ADF, DSTG and Australian defence industry to accommodate other important considerations such as Australian or AUKUS manufacturability, development cost, and potential vulnerabilities when making informed decisions on radio-frequency front ends for future defence C4ISR systems.
Speaker
Professor Karu Esselle
Distinguished Professor
UTS and I4H
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Biography
Karu Esselle, FRSN, FIEEE, FIEAust is the Distinguished Professor in Electromagnetic and Antenna Engineering at University of Technology Sydney. Australia’s 2022 Professional Engineer of the Year, he’s also the leader of the MetaSteerers Team that won Australia’s national 2023 Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Safeguarding Australia, making him the only person to receive both a Eureka Prize and the Professional Engineer of the Year Award. Since 2018 Karu has conducted 12 projects for the Department of Defence via DSTG, aiming for development of Australia sovereign capabilities.
Karu is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales, IEEE and Engineers Australia.
Karu is ranked at #2 in the world in two research areas in Google Scholar. Since 2002, his research income is over $33 million. He has provided expert assistance to many companies in USA, Europe and Australia.
In the 24-month period to December 2023, ten new awards and prizes expanded Kau’s portfolio of Research Excellence accolades, including the “Winner of Winners” Excellence Award as well as the Academic of Year Award at 2022 Australian Space Awards, 2022 Chancellor’s Medal, and both the Excellence Award and the Academic of the Year Award at 2021 Australian Defence Industry Awards.
