The Howard Government has increased funding for the Capability and Technology Demonstrator (CTD) program by $40.9 million over the next three financial years - effectively doubling the annual average expenditure on the program, Defence Minister Robert Hill announced today.

Senator Hill said Defence will invest $26 million in twelve new technology projects during the next financial year – including a hand held underwater sonar device to detect mines, blast resistant material for Army vehicles and flexible solar panels to generate power for ADF operations in the field.

Senator Hill said the funding will be spread across several Australian companies demonstrating a diverse range of innovative technologies.

"The CTD program, coordinated by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), encourages the development of advanced technologies with the potential to significantly boost future Defence capability," Senator Hill said.

"The increased funding fulfils an election commitment of the Coalition Government and will provide Defence with the latest technology, capability and protection to carry out its duties in the best and safest possible way.

"We view Australian industry as an important partner in this process, and the substantial increase in investment will encourage industry participation and reward innovation."

Senator Hill said the additional funds will not only increase industry participation in the program but also make it easier for companies to submit proposals.

"For the first time, seed funding will be available for companies to develop their proposals, particularly small and medium companies. Funding has also been made available for future studies into promising capability concepts.

"The new CTD projects could potentially result in enhanced operational capabilities, major savings for Defence, spin-offs for civilian applications and provide export opportunities."

Technologies shortlisted for the 2005-06 CTD program also include a system to detect moving objects in real-time from existing video surveillance sensors, countermeasures for lightly-armed ships against modern imaging radars, a safe landing aid for helicopters operating in poor visibility conditions, ultra-thin fibre optic laser sensors for underwater towed arrays, software for collecting geospatial information from multiple sources and a system to exchange such information with operational areas, and advanced communication and data links.

The CTD program was first funded in July 1998 and presently comprises 38 active projects. To date about $116 million has been allocated to various projects.

The CTD program is open to any worthwhile proposal from any source. It allows Defence and Australian industry to share risks and rewards in exploring useful technology developments. Defence funds the CTD Program for up to $26 million each year to provide a more rapid means of demonstrating the application of high technology in support of priority Defence capabilities.

CTD Projects short-listed for contract negotiation 2005-06:

• Cuttlefish (Tenix Defence Systems)

This CTD aims to demonstrate a significantly enhanced ability to defeat modern imaging radar surveillance. Surveillance aircraft use imaging radar to detect, identify and track ships and coordinate attacks. The CTD is directed at developing countermeasures to protect lightly armed and very large amphibious transport ships and fleet supply ships.

• Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Video Processing ( MediaWare Solutions)

This CTD aims to demonstrate an advanced system of detecting and tracking moving objects in near real time using existing video surveillance sensors. The technology can be adapted to future systems.

• Diver’s Sonar (Daronmont Technologies, Mostyn Enterprises)

This CTD aims to demonstrate the integration of an advanced sonar with the new ADF diver’s combat system to allow a diver to automatically map an area, detect and classify mines and communicate this information back to the supporting ship.

• Flexible Solar Panels (Sustainable Technologies International and Smart Technologies Australia)

This proposal would demonstrate flexible solar panels based on Australian Solar Cell technology to provide energy in the field. Flexible solar panels hold promise for application to clothing, tents and field structures, to power cooling, communications, and sensors.

• Fibre Laser Sensors (Thales Underwater Systems, Redfern Optical Components)

This CTD seeks to demonstrate a lightweight, compact towed array based on fibre optic cable and small lasers. Fibre laser sensors can replace current towed acoustic arrays which are long, bulky, heavy and pose a hazard to shipping because they get tangled in propellers. The new technology could simplify towed array ship fits and operations, and increase the range of ships that could operate towed arrays.

• Helicopter Landing Aid (BAE Systems)

This CTD would demonstrate a landing aid for helicopter pilots operating in areas shrouded in dust or smoke thus limiting the pilot’s visibility. This capability would increase the safety of helicopter operations.

• Blast Resistant Protection (Armour Australia)

This proposal would demonstrate a fibre reinforced plastic, bullet and blast resistant material that could be used in place of steel as armour and for protection of vehicle flooring. The material should provide greater protection for the same installed weight.

• Geospatial Software Agents (URS Australia, Agent Oriented Software, ESRI Australia)

This proposal would demonstrate the use of intelligent software agents and commercially available search engines to help users find and access the geospatial information they are seeking from multiple sources. This CTD would potentially enhance operational capability through the use of software agents.

• Geospatial Information to the Field (RIA Mobile GIS, Alexander Tomlinson & Valkyrie Systems)

This proposal would demonstrate a system based on commercially available technology to allow deployed forces access through hand held devices to a wide range of geospatial information relevant to their mission. At present there are significant limitations on the extent to which geospatial information can be communicated to and from forces in the field.

• Integrated Data Services (ADI Limited)

This CTD proposal would deliver a common tactical data link to network ADF units. The Variable Message Format (VMF) data link would offer greater reliability, more capacity and a lower through-life cost than older tactical data links. VMF will be an important element in improving the ADF network centric warfare capability.

• Navy Tactical Trunk (ADI Limited)

This proposal would demonstrate a very high bandwidth, continuous, ultra-high frequency (UHF) line-of-sight communication link to support ship to shore operations. This would provide force elements without satellite communications with greater bandwidth, and allow the simultaneous exchange of information via voice, data and video links.

• Transforming Naval Combat Systems (SAAB Systems, ADI, Tenix Defence Systems, Acacia Research)

This CTD aims to demonstrate the ability for common interfaces and links to allow the combat systems of the ADF’s major surface combatant ships and submarines to work more effectively together and for the ships to fight as a unit.