AUSTRALIA and Japan marked a significant milestone in bilateral defence collaboration with successful field trials of a co-developed laser in South Australia. Japan’s defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, said the programme had marked a “significant milestone” in defence collaboration with successful field trials of the high-energy laser.
Dubbed the Boobook project after an owl indigenous to Australia that is able to see in the dark, the programme has broken new ground as the first co-development project between Australian and Japanese defence industries, demonstrating deepening cooperation between the quasi-allies.
The collaboration between the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), Mitsubishi Electric Australia (MEA) and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO) saw the successful field testing of a world-first prototype laser system which draws on more than 20 years of research and development by DSTG to deliver a cutting-edge technology with the potential to enhance surveillance capability.
According to Marles, the laser capability can be used on land and sea-based platforms and offers “greater protection and situational awareness by using laser to optically detect incoming threats.” Koizumi added that, “This project is not only the first co-development between Japan and Australia, but also the first case in which Japan’s defence industrial technologies have attracted the interest of a foreign government and progressed to international co-development in the defence field. Its success represents another important step forward in deepening Japan-Australia defence equipment, technology and industrial cooperation.”
Boobook supports the implementation of Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi’s announcement months earlier which committed to enhancing defence and security cooperation. The successful Boobook trials conducted at Cultana Training Area and DSTG Edinburgh provided valuable insights into the system’s design and technical requirements, informing the next phases of development and commercialisation.
An Australia Department of Defence (DOD) statement read, “The testing also demonstrated Australia and Japan’s ability to jointly develop advanced technologies and conduct multinational testing on Australian ranges. This paves the way for ongoing defence industrial collaboration on advanced defence capabilities between our two countries. As the project progresses, MEA is establishing new facilities at Rydalmere, New South Wales in preparation for large-scale manufacturing within Australia.”
“This US$49 million investment will become the home of a new MEA Defence Division, supporting future manufacturing opportunities in Australia and strengthening access to advanced Mitsubishi Electric defence technologies for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) into the future”, it added.
Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said, “This project demonstrates close collaboration with Japan, to develop cutting-edge technologies that address real capability needs for the ADF). Boobook is more than a technology project. It is a practical example of the growing defence industrial partnership between Australia and Japan, as well as the opportunities that partnership creates for both nations. The establishment of Mitsubishi Electric Australia’s new defence facilities in Rydalmere is a strong vote of confidence in Australia’s defence industrial future and will support new opportunities for advanced manufacturing, technology transfer and workforce growth.”
Furthermore, both defence ministers also announced that both countries are working towards allowing Japan better access to Australia’s missile testing ranges. “If the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) are able to conduct test launches of standoff missiles, such as hypersonic missiles in Australia, it will be a groundbreaking development, second only to similar cooperation with the United States,” Koizumi said, adding that “We will therefore accelerate discussions toward realising this objective.” Marles said the talks were focused on a “better and enhanced arrangement between Australia and Japan for Japan’s use of our missile ranges over the course of the next decade”.–-shp/adj/dl (Pix:DOD)
