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QinetiQ and Forcys have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening Australia’s sovereign capability in maritime assurance, with a focus on ensuring the safety, reliability and operational readiness of undersea and autonomous systems.
The agreement brings together QinetiQ’s global experience in defence test and evaluation, mission assurance and range management with Forcys’ advanced underwater sensing and communications technologies. The two companies will jointly develop and operate new tools to assess the performance of maritime platforms and technologies, from initial design stages through to real-world deployment.
QinetiQ Australia chief executive Corry Neale said the partnership marked a major shift in how sovereign maritime assurance could be delivered for Australia and its partners.
“Australia’s security and national interests depend on being able to understand and trust how these systems perform,” Neale said. “As the undersea environment becomes more contested and technology evolves rapidly, Defence needs the ability to test, evaluate and prove new capabilities on home soil.”
Under the MOU, the companies will collaborate on delivering next-generation deployable underwater ranges and related test systems. These capabilities are considered critical to measuring, validating and improving the performance of submarines, autonomous vessels and other undersea technologies.
They will also support faster and more informed decision making as Defence prepares for increasingly complex maritime threats.
The partnership aligns with the Australian government’s Defence Strategic Review and AUKUS Pillar 2 objectives, particularly in boosting sovereign industrial capability and enhancing Defence’s ability to assure complex undersea and multi-domain systems across allied operations.
Forcys Asia-Pacific regional manager Sean Leydon said deployable ranges capable of precisely tracking underwater assets would give the Australian Defence Force vital flexibility.
“Forcys, together with our technology partners Sonardyne and Chelsea Technologies, brings more than 50 years’ experience in underwater tracking,” Leydon said. “We look forward to working with QinetiQ to provide underwater communications and deployed range operations, supporting our customers as they introduce increasing numbers of autonomous underwater vehicles.”
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.
