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Australian defence industry small and medium-sized enterprises have collaborated with global leaders at the 16th International Mine Warfare Technology Symposium.
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Two specialist Australian defence industry small and medium-sized enterprises are meeting with international mine countermeasures leaders, including global military survey technology and mine countermeasures experts Exail, at the 16th International Mine Warfare Technology Symposium being held in San Diego this week.
Dr David Battle, co-founder of Mission Systems, and Russell Norman, technical director of Solutions from Silicon, are partners of advanced robotics and autonomous defence systems innovator Exail.
They are continuing to strengthen their relationship with Exail’s mine countermeasure product line director Daniel Scourzic, who is also at the symposium discussing innovative solutions to enhance Australia’s mine countermeasure capabilities.
“Should grey-zone tactics escalate to open hostilities to our north, our flyaway AUV teams will be limited to near-shore and port clearance operations while the shallow seas through which much of our trade passes could easily be rendered impassable by a few well-placed minefields. This means that the Royal Australian Navy would quickly need to innovate, to fill a capability gap in a highly specialised area,” Battle said.
Mission Systems, known for its world-leading AI-based autonomous mine detection and clearance technologies developed with Defence Innovation Hub funding, and Solutions from Silicon, the incumbent supplier of MINTACS mine countermeasure software to the Royal Australian Navy, view the situation as both a threat and an opportunity.
“Our relationship with Exail, one of the world’s leading producers of robotic mine countermeasure technology, means that we can contribute genuine sovereign technologies to existing sea-proven capability,” Battle said.
“The great thing about the symposium this year is the theme of Mine Warfare in Contested and Non-Permissive Environments, which is exactly the situation that potentially faces us.
“It’s essential for anyone working in this field to be here this week for the technical presentations and unclassified discussions. We look forward to catching up with Daniel and our other colleagues throughout the week.”
The objectives of the symposium are to conduct education, training and information-sharing activities to increase awareness and understanding among the public and within United States, allied and partner nation armed forces about the military arts of mine warfare and the operational impacts of sea and littoral land mine employment before, during, and after hostilities.
Additionally, the symposium aims to promote the development and application of offensive and protective mining and mine countermeasures technologies, recognise professional excellence in mine warfare technologies and foster liaison and communications among military, industry and academic communities.
A key focus is on developing international protocols to control the spread and proliferation of mines and mine technologies to entities that use them indiscriminately and irresponsibly.
