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Defence Minister Linda Reynolds and Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price have announced a multibillion-dollar contract with Canberra-based CEA Technologies to provide the Army’s new short-range ground-based air defence capability.
The $137 million contract will provide advanced radars as part of the air defence system to protect deployed forces from sophisticated air threats.
Minister Reynolds said the Morrison government is committed to providing the Australian Defence Force with the best capability to defend Australia’s national interests.
"This air defence capability combines world leading Australian radar technology with a highly effective air defence system that will protect our service men and women from future airborne threats," Minister Reynolds said.
"I congratulate CEA for adapting these radars from those already in service with the Royal Australian Navy, confirming its reputation as an agile, innovative company and a key strategic partner for Defence."
Minister Price said CEA was already a recognised success story for Australian industry.
"Integration of these radars into existing air defence technology is a significant step in establishing Australian industry as a leading exporter of defence technology," Minister Price said.
She added, "This contract with CEA will support 45 jobs in Canberra and Adelaide and demonstrates the company’s ongoing success after securing a $90 million loan through the Morrison government’s Defence Export Facility."
The vehicle-mounted radars will be delivered in long- and short-range variants, with the short-range variant to be mounted on the Australian-developed Thales Hawkei vehicle.
CEA’s phased array technologies provide modular and scalable phased array products suitable for use in the maritime and land environments. The CEAFAR active phased array radar provides a multi function digital beam forming (DBF) radar capability able to perform 3D volume search, surface search, fire control support, and target classification in demanding, cluttered and jamming environments.
The CEAMOUNT active phased array illuminator performs target illumination and missile uplink for multiple simultaneous semi-active homing missiles. It can be configured as a mechanically trained face or a fixed multi-face solution.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
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