From Protecting National Sovereignty to Protecting the Reef
Melanie Olsen is harnessing 10 years of missile defense and electronic warfare systems expertise to drive rapid technological innovation in marine research and monitoring. Today, on International Women in Engineering Day, the AIMS Team Leader for Technology Development Engineering shares her unique journey.Growing up in a third-generation farming family near the small settlement of El Arish in north Queensland, Melanie Olsen thought engineers were train drivers.When a James Cook University engineering lecturer visited her small rural high school with a quad helicopterâŚ
Melbourne Celebrates 25 Years of Service
HMAS Melbourne has celebrated 25 years since she entered service with the Royal Australian Navy, proving her motto, âShe gathers strength as she goesâ. The guided missile frigate has steamed more than 1.5 million kilometres - about 37 times the earthâs circumference - and clocked up almost 62,000 hours underway, since commissioning on 15 February 1992 at Station Pier, Melbourne. Commanding Officer Commander Charles Bourne said the frigate still plays a pivotal role in the Australian fleet. âWe are one of only three long-range air defence ships in the Navy and will remain so until the new Hobart class destroyers arrive,â Commander Bourne said. âWe have just completed trials for the MH-60R Seahawk âRomeoâ helicopters in order to ensure the aircraft can be safely operated from the ship.
Ike Launch of Nulka Successful
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) completed the first successful carrier launch of the MK 234 Nulka countermeasure fired from the MK 53 Decoy Launching System (DLS), Dec. 16. Nulka, an Australian Aboriginal word meaning to "be quick," is a rapid-response active expendable decoy (AED) capable of providing highly effective defense for ships against modern anti-ship missiles (ASM). The decoy was developed through a joint effort by Australia and the United States. Australia developed the hovering rocket while the U.S. developed the electronic payload. When launched, the Nulka decoy radiates a large, ship-like radar cross section that attempts to lure ASMs away from their intended targets.
Australia, US Order Anti-ship Missile Decoys
Design of the next generation of anti-ship missile decoys is set to commence following the signing of two contracts between the Australian Defense Force and BAE Systems Australia Pty Ltd. Defense Materiel Organization Chief Executive Officer Warren King said the contracts represented continued investment in the jointly developed AustralianâUnited States Nulka capability. âThese contracts support both the acquisition of Nulka decoys and the engineering design of the next generation of shipboard Nulka launch systems for the Royal Australian Navy,â he said.
Alion Part of Navy Contract, Advanced Above Water Sensors
Alion Science and Technology, an employee-owned technology solutions company, in conjunction with fourteen other companies, was awarded a $134m contract from the Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS) to support the development and procurement of Navy above water sensors. Work under the contract will result in more efficient office and project management functions and continuity over the entire acquisition cycle. PEO IWS 2.0 is the Above Water Sensors Directorate within PEO IWS. Working with prime contractor Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc., Alion will provide support in the areas of program and financial management, engineering and test and evaluation.
