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In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast at the recent Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition in Sydney, host Steve Kuper is joined by Alan Clements of L3Harris Technologies Australia as they explore the shifting dynamics shaping Australia’s maritime modernisation and emerging technologies for the Australian Defence Force.
They explore:
- The strong industry momentum at Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition 2025, driven by major Defence investments in the maritime domain, including AUKUS SSN, the evolved Mogami Class decision and broader fleet recapitalisation.
- L3Harris’ role as a critical technology provider across air, land, sea, cyber and space to supply sensors, comms, power, electronic warfare systems and sustainment capabilities essential to Australian Defence Force operations.
- The scale of Australia’s naval transformation, with new classes such as the evolved Mogami, Hunter Class and SSN-AUKUS submarines. These platforms represent a leap from legacy platforms to software-driven, high-tech systems that will reshape how the Royal Australian Navy trains, fights and integrates with joint forces.
- The challenge of transitioning to nuclear-powered submarines, including industry readiness, workforce uplift, sustainment requirements and close cooperation with US and UK partners.
- How autonomy, AI-enabled sensing and unmanned systems are expanding the ADF’s capability, with L3Harris demonstrating unmanned platforms, passive electronic detection systems and “amorphous” command-and-control architectures at Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.
- The Australian Army’s growing maritime role through its landing craft modernisation and how naval-to-land integration is evolving as the ADF reshapes for littoral operations.
- The rising importance of AUKUS Pillar II, particularly autonomous undersea systems, seabed sensing and platform-agnostic C2.
The increasing recognition across Defence that no single company can deliver full-spectrum capability and the value in collaborative integration across industry, SMEs and global supply chains. - The urgent need for Australia to elevate investment and focus on electromagnetic spectrum control, electronic warfare and self-defence to deliver decisive maritime success.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team
