India Sweeps Up Australian Defence Technology

The Australian Minesweeping System, developed by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), has scored another export success with India being the latest to acquire the innovative system that protects ships from underwater mines.

The Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, the Hon Warren Snowdon MP, said the sale to India was the largest single overseas order for this technology since it was first exported in 1992.

“Defence has now received over $3 million in royalties for the worldwide sale of the Australian Minesweeping System while a significant number of jobs have been created for Australian workers,” Mr Snowdon said.

Thales Australia has a worldwide licence to market the system which is now in service with the navies of Australia, USA, Denmark, Poland, Japan, UAE, Indonesia and Thailand.

The DSTO-designed system is the world’s first operational sweep to emulate the magnetic signals of ships, causing sea mines to detonate prematurely and safely out of range of target vessels. The technology has been further improved in collaboration with Thales Australia.

The Australian Minesweeping System was famously used during the 2003 Gulf War when it was used by the Royal Navy to clear smart mines from the port of Umm Qasr in order to deliver humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people.

Thales Australia CEO, Chris Jenkins, presented Mr Snowdon with a cheque of $514,358 in royalties for the sale to India.

Mr Snowdon said the continuous improvement of the minesweeping technology represents best practice interaction between DSTO and industry.

“This is a genuine collaboration in which DSTO and industry have shared the risks and the rewards; it has enhanced Defence capability, produced revenue for industry and the Commonwealth and reinforced Australia’s reputation for technology innovation.”