Australian Navy's Electronic Warfare Training

 

A common electronic warfare sensor suite is planned across the future fleet and future electronic warfare sailors need to have the advanced skills to meet upcoming demand.

 

Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne said a contract signed with the Australian company Cirrus Real Time Processing Systems would result in advanced new maritime training systems designed and developed in Australia.

 

“The contract valued at around $4.4 million will see the development of a tactical electronic warfare training system to provide tuition, assessment and qualification of electronic warfare practitioners across the full range of Navy ships, from a single facility ashore,” Minister Pyne said.

 

Minister Pyne said the modernisation of training at the School of Maritime Warfare at HMAS Watson in Sydney would reduce the training burden on ships at sea and offers a consistent training continuum.

 

“Navy’s current training facilities are based on the equipment and systems in the Adelaide and Anzac class frigates, but as these systems develop, so too must the training,” he said.

 

“Tactical electronic warfare involves the effective employment of systems, tactics and operating procedures to exploit the electromagnetic spectrum to protect Navy’s ships and people from all manner of threats.”

 

Sailors who train and qualify on the systems will have a greater understanding of electronic warfare and a broader range of skills before they are posted to a ship and work at sea.

 

“The enhanced training systems will be capable of generating scenarios that simulate physical and electronic attacks where control of the electromagnetic spectrum can neutralise those threats,” Minister Pyne said.

 

“The machines will be able to load relevant software to replicate different ship types and the layouts of electronic warfare systems at sea.”

(Department of Defence (author), ABIS Bonny Gassner (photographer))