Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister for Defence Senator Sandy Macdonald
today presented the 2005 Minister's Award for Achievement
in Defence Science to Dr. Tony Lindsay for his outstanding
achievement in enhancing protection for ADF aircraft against
electronic warfare threats. Senator Macdonald said Dr. Lindsay,
a member of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation
(DSTO), provided invaluable technical leadership over six
years on an Australia-US project, one of the largest joint
R&D efforts between the two countries.
"Dr Lindsay's many years of dedication and scientific
leadership have made a major difference to the Australian
Air Force's capability in electronic warfare, particularly
its development of countermeasures," Senator Macdonald
said. Dr. Lindsay's team has developed new technologies, giving
the RAAF additional capabilities in analysing and testing
the performance of electronic warfare systems in complex environments,
protecting ADF aircraft by detecting threats such as missiles,
and launching countermeasures to jam or lure the threat away
from the aircraft.
"His team had developed world-leading capabilities such
as microwave photonics and advanced laser technologies which
show great promise for integration into next generation aircraft
such as the Joint Strike Fighter. Another unique outcome was
the successful demonstration of multiple robotic aircraft
that organised themselves without human intervention to locate
and deal with threats," Senator Macdonald said.
"In the area of advanced lasers, Dr. Lindsay's team has
achieved unprecedented levels of performance from fibre lasers
suitable for aircraft self-defence and no one has been able
to match this performance. Developing these niche technologies
has paved the way for greater Australian collaboration with
the US in key areas of technology development. As a result
of these developments, Australia now has a capability to undertake
flight trials for electronic warfare self-protection that
did not exist before."
Over $40 million or 70% of the project R&D budget was
invested in Australian companies and universities to achieve
the outcomes for which Dr. Lindsay has been awarded the Minister's
Award for Achievement in Defence Science. Dr. Lindsay continues
to facilitate cooperative programs with the US in his current
role as Australia's defence science counsellor in Washington.