Defence Research News

Research scientist and entrepreneur Sverre Dokken believes laser-based remote sensing has big potential in the maritime domain. But what is LADAR, who’s it for and what are the key benefits?“Our mission is to be the world leader in innovative maritime sensor products that enhance the safety and security of shipping and all manner of offshore activity,” says Ladar Ltd (LDR) principal Sverre Dokken.In the sensor vanguardEssentially a laser-based navigational aid, LADAR (Laser Detection and Ranging) combines long-distance object detection with high-accuracy measurement…

Norwegian technology enterprise Kongsberg Maritime announced that contracts have been signed for the sale of a HUGIN AUV System to the Indian National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), located in Chennai, India.According to a statement from Kongsberg Maritime India, the HUGIN AUV System ordered by NIOT is rated to a depth of 6,000 metres and will be equipped with a Kongsberg HISAS 1032 synthetic aperture sonar and EM2040 multibeam echosounder, designed for hydrographic and seabed classification applications.It will also carry a high-resolution colour still image camera, plus a range of environmental sensors for oceanographic surveys, including a magnetometer.

A new joint industry report offers recommendations for enhanced battery safety on vessels.The report, released by DNV GL in collaboration with the Norwegian, Danish and US maritime authorities, battery manufacturers, system integrators, suppliers of fire extinguishing systems, shipyards and shipowners, assesses explosion and fire risks in maritime battery installations and the effectiveness of fire extinguishing systems in the event of a battery fire.While onboard battery power represents a pathway toward more environmentally friendly vessel operations…

SeeByte, creator of smart software for unmanned maritime systems, said it will demonstrate software solutions for unmanned systems as part of the Royal Navy’s Unmanned Warrior exercise. The exercise will feature more than 50 vehicles, sensors and systems and aims to demonstrate never-seen-before capabilities in the field of autonomy and unmanned systems. SeeByte’s software forms the core components of the Hell Bay 4 and MCM Challenge elements of Unmanned Warrior. The aim of these exercises is to develop and push the capabilities of autonomous systems…

Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)  with the government of India for the ongoing fiscal under which targets agreed are in line with aggressive growth plans of the public sector firm. "CSL has signed a MoU with the Government of India for the financial year 2016-17," Ministry of Shipping said in a statement. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Shri Rajive Kumar, Secretary Shipping and Shri Madhu S Nair, Chairman & Managing Director, Cochin Shipyard Limited, at New Delhi. The MoU broadly consists of the performance evaluation parameters and targets for Cochin Shipyard for the ensuing year.

India has successfully tested its most ambitious weapon system - a long range submarine-launched ballistic missile, codenamed K-4, from submarine INS Arihant. The nuclear-capable missile can strike targets up to 3,500 kilometres away. The submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) was test-fired from the nuclear-powered submarine Arihant, both of which have been indigenously developed, officials said. Both the missile and the submarine have been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). According to sources, the test was conducted on March 31 from Arihant in the Bay of Bengal. The missile was fired from around 20 metres under water, and covered a distance of 700 km before hitting the target.

Australia and Japan have signed a cooperative research arrangement on marine hydrodynamics, the Chief Defence Scientist, Dr Alex Zelinsky, announced today. “This is the first joint defence research project to be conducted by our two countries,” Dr Zelinsky said. The collaborative research program will be undertaken by Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group and Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency. “This is an excellent start to our new relationship in defence science and technology cooperation,” Dr Zelinsky said. “Understanding hydrodynamics is vital for the future of Australia’s maritime defence and this collaboration will greatly benefit our technology development in this area.

Amid increasing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean region, Navy Chief Admiral R.K. Dhowan said that Indian Navy “minutely” monitors the activities of its Chinese counterpart in the region, reports PTI. Underlining that India's maritime resources are directly linked to country's economy, Dhowan said the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships have been deployed in anti-piracy operations in Indian Ocean since 2008 along with some submarines. "PLA Navy's activities are minutely monitored by Indian Navy and our belief is that the responsibility of protecting Indian Ocean and our coastline lies with the Navy. Our ships, aircraft carriers are always on alert so that our security is maintained," he said.

Often heralded as new shipping lane, Arctic shipments fall. Western sanctions on Russia are restricting the Arctic shipping route along its north coast to domestic cargoes and energy exports with many foreign firms staying away after test voyages on a fabled short-cut between Europe and Asia. A decline in foreign shipments on the Northern Sea Route (NSR) in 2014, interrupting gains in recent years as ice retreats, dims prospects for a shipping lane that is often seen as a rare positive side-effect of global warming. "We're ending the era of foreign demonstration voyages that were promoted by Russia. Now it seems that reality is kicking in…

The Franklin Expedition ship discovered in early September by the 2014 Victoria Strait Expedition is Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Erebus. Sir John Franklin, who was in command of the Franklin Expedition, sailed on HMS Erebus, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Wednesday. On May 19, 1845, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror of the Royal Navy departed Greenhithe, England, on a much-heralded Arctic expedition in search of a Northwest Passage. Under the command of Sir John Franklin…

Kongsberg inform that Bjørn Jalving, Executive Vice President Subsea at maritime, offshore and subsea technology developer Kongsberg Maritime recently has been given the Compass Distinguished Achievement Award from the Marine Technology Society. The award ceremony was at the OCEANS 2014 MTS/IEEE conference in St. John 's, Newfoundland, Canada. This prestigious award is presented to an individual whose work has had significant impact on the fields of marine science and technology. Bjørn Jalving was selected for the award because of his long career and significant achievements within AUV technology. After graduating as M.Sc. in Engineering Cybernetics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 1991…

The Govermnent of Canada announces that with an unprecedented number of organizations from the public, private and non-profit sectors it will partner together, using state-of-the-art technology, to locate the historic ships of the ill-fated 1845 Franklin Expedition. The 2014 Franklin Expedition will also have the added benefit of furthering our knowledge in a number of priority areas, including through the collection of important scientific information about Canada's most remote region. Government partners for the 2014 Victoria Strait expedition include Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard, the Royal Canadian Navy…

Trucks, trains, ships and oil rigs are all potential targets for criminal organizations. Organizations that own, use or transport high value assets recognise the need to protect their goods and employees, especially when they are at their most vulnerable - when in remote or isolated situations, at night and when operating alone. By their very nature, trucks, trains, ships and oil rigs are all potential targets for criminal organisations. Furthermore, monitoring systems, early warning and deterrent technology have not been available to address this need at a remotely affordable cost.

The 27th International “What if?” Workshop has brought data farming experts together at the National Defence University in Helsinki, Finland. Data farming is a way to conduct operational analysis through modeling and simulation, high performance computing to build scenarios, and then explore new options for decision makers. The methodology permits planners and decision makers to ask the “what if?” questions to determine the probabilities of various outcomes. The workshop is being attended by representatives from Germany, Sweden, Canada, Turkey, the U.S. and Finland.

Bjørn Jalving has been appointed as Executive Vice President of Kongsberg Maritime’s Subsea division and a member of the Kongsberg Maritime management group, effective 1st January 2012. Jalving succeeds Rolf Arne Klepaker, who is moving to a role working with strategic projects in Kongsberg Maritime. Jalving started in Kongsberg Maritime in 2006 as Senior Principal Engineer in the AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) department. Since 2007, he has been Vice President for HUGIN AUV activity and part of the Subsea management group. He has an MSc in Engineering Cybernetics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim and for 14 years has worked as a scientist at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, FFI.

Norway’s AISSat-1 Satellite recently started its mission with a payload developed by Kongsberg Seatex AS. The AISSat-1 was launched successfully from India on July 12, and has already begun transmitting AIS messages from space to earth via Kongsberg Satellite Services' ground station at Svalbard. AISSat-1 is an experimental satellite, equipped with a Kongsberg Seatex payload that receives and forwards AIS messages from ships. Using the technology in a fully developed system will improve safety at sea for vessels in Norwegian waters.

The Norwegian satellite, AISSat-1 will be launched from India on 9 May. The satellite will be used by maritime authorities as an additional means of ensuring safety at sea in the High North. The satellite is equipped with technology developed in a joint effort by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), Kongsberg Seatex AS, the Norwegian Coastal Administration and the Norwegian Space Centre. The project is funded by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. All passenger…

Kongsberg Maritime has signed a contract with the shipyard Alcock Ashdown Ltd. of Gujarat, India, for advanced subsea systems valued at approximately $58.6m. The equipment will be installed on six new surveying vessels that India's National Hydrographic Office has ordered from the shipyard. HUGIN was developed through collaboration between the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, the Royal Norwegian Navy, Statoil and Kongsberg Maritime. Cooperation began in 1995, and the first HUGIN was put into commercial use in the North Sea in 1997.