Army Design (continued)

The manufacture of 105 mm guns and small arms with associated ammunition continued. Evaluation of 105 mm candidates for replacement of obsolescent items and introduction of the 155 mm gun to replace the 5.5 inch gun included examination of problems of local manufacture. Extensive field trials were required to ensure effective operation in the widely varying operational environment encountered by ground forces.

The Army Design Establishments had successfully converted the Browning .30 inch machine gun to 7.62 mm calibre and perfected a process of chromium plating the barrels to increase their useful life. When the decision was taken to follow allied practice in adopting the 5.62 mm small arm, a detailed evaluation of the various overseas developments was required. That a local development could have been attempted was never considered even though considerable local expertise existed.

Design details of a family of high frequency tactical field communication systems for service post-1980 were established. The range of equipment included a single channel vehicle-mounted unit for combat operations (Project Raven) up to multi-channel units for communication between Task Force and advanced Headquarters (Project Hiport). A field automatic telephone switch complete with vehicle shelter was developed for production. A significant part of this technical effort was expended in transmitting information to industrial contractors who undertook studies towards production. Project Parakeet, a lineal descendant from the earlier Mallard investigation with the U.S., related to an advanced technology secure voice trunk communications system to be introduced post-1990. Involving digital techniques, the specification of technical requirements has been investigated with the Advanced Engineering Laboratory at Salisbury.

The range of field equipment required by the Army is extensive and manufacture, although limited in quantity, can usually be arranged with industry. EDE was responsible for a lightweight field power unit, e.g. a 15 KVA generator for the Rapier anti-aircraft guided weapon system and a lightweight vehicle 28 volt electrical generator which contained no windings, commutator nor brushes.

With the decline in Australian industry's capacity for independent technical support of defence requirements it became necessary for EDE to acquire particular skills to allow it to assume the role of a Design Authority. An example of this was its role in the development of parachute equipment, which had become important to the new concept of aerial mobility.

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering