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An Australian testing and certification company has been chosen to test the strength and durability of equipment for Australia’s next generation military communication.
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Boeing Defence Australia has selected Austest Laboratories for a testing program for Project Currawong, Australia's battlespace communication system (BCS) that will provide secure wideband voice, data and video services over wireless and wired infrastructure between deployed forces and headquarters for land-based ADF personnel deployed around the world.
The testing program will involve a series of extensive environmental and EMI/EMC tests performed on the new BCS as part of LAND 2072 Phase 2B project, over several months.
Following the successful conclusion of a preliminary testing program completed in March this year, Boeing Defence Australia engaged Austest Laboratories to carry out formal acceptance testing.
Boeing Currawong program director Lee Davis said the selection of Austest Laboratories was further continuation of the company's support of local industry.
"The Currawong battlespace communications system is designed, developed and built by Australians for the ADF, so our decision to select Australian-based Austest Laboratories for environmental testing represents our continued support of local suppliers," Davis said.
As the ADF requires the new system to be capable of worldwide deployment from Antarctica through to the Middle East, the testing activities encompass a wide range of environmental simulations, as well as exposure to mechanical stresses likely to occur during the deployment of the equipment such as vibration, shock and drop. All of the required extreme conditions such as low and high temperatures, humidity, pressure, high altitude, rain, dust and corrosive environments are simulated using state-of-the-art test facilities located at Austests’ Sydney laboratory.
In addition to environmental simulations, Austest Labs is also subjecting Currawong equipment to various EMI/EMC tests in order to validate its compliance with relevant military standards. Both environmental and EMC testing is carried out concurrently in Austest Laboratories Sydney facility, a move Austest Labs said significantly simplifies logistics and scheduling of the testing program.
Initial operational capability of the new system is expected to be achieved in 2018 and final operational capability in 2020.
