$1.2 billion upgrade of Jindalee Operational Radar Network means 200 jobs in Adelaide’s north
A $1.2 billion upgrade of the world-leading radar system that monitors the waters north of Australia will create a hi-tech jobs blitz in Adelaide’s northern suburbs.
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A $1.2 billion upgrade of the world-leading radar system that monitors the waters north of Australia will create a hi-tech jobs blitz in Adelaide’s northern suburbs.
Under the Turnbull Government plan, research and design work to make the radars more sensitive will be based at the Edinburgh Defence Precinct, creating about 200 jobs.
Increasing the sensitivity of the radar system could help it work better during extreme weather and detect small boats used by people smugglers.
Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne will today announce BAE Systems Australia will undertake a significant upgrade to the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN).
Mr Pyne said 200 new positions would be created in BAE Systems and through the supply chain to take Australian Defence Science and Technology research advancements from the lab to the operational environment.
JORN allows Australia’s Defence Force to identify threats over the horizon by tracking activity in the air and on the sea to Australia’s north and west by bouncing radar waves off the Earth’s ionosphere.
“The upgraded JORN system will be 100 per cent designed, developed and delivered in Australia, by Australians,” My Pyne said.
“Most jobs will be created in the Edinburgh Defence Precinct, in Adelaide’s northern suburbs.”
The Royal Australian Air Force controls three JORN radars in remote parts of Queensland, NT and WA from the co-ordination centre at the Edinburgh RAAF Base.
Defence Minister Marise Payne said the $1.2 billion radar and infrastructure upgrade would ensure that Australia’s world-leading, over-the-horizon radar remained at the cutting edge of technology.
“This upgrade will ensure the Australian Defence Force is well-equipped with a world leading, over-the-horizon surveillance capability,” Senator Payne said.
Improving the sensitivity could also help overcome problems for the system’s capability created by changes in atmospheric conditions, such as intense weather systems.
The upgrade would ensure that JORN continues to protect Australia’s borders beyond 2040.
The project is expected to take 10 years to complete and support 500 jobs across Australia.
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