Chapter 13
I Colonial Origins
II First World War
III Between The World Wars
IV The Second World War
V Post-second World War
VI After The Joint Project
VII Science And Decisions At The Top
VIII Armed Services Technology
IX New Tasks And Projects
i Mulloka
ii Winnin
iii Lads
iv Jindalee
v Barra and Kariwarra
X Transfer Of Research And Development
XI Acknowledgement
References
Index
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Barra and Kariwarra
The research on the transmission of sound under water (see p. 960) led by H. D'Assumpcaõ at DRCS and RANRL was to yield several projects for naval defence. Important among these was the development in association with industry (notably The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation and Amalgamated Wireless Australia) of an experimental passive sono-buoy. The system included an airborne computer and display unit and the buoy itself. The buoy was to radio to the aircraft the bearing of submarines within range and other data. After its initial demonstration, it was decided to proceed in collaboration to development models and eventually to production with the United Kingdom; they were to develop the on-board processor in the aircraft, and Australia the sono-buoy. The engineering problems were formidable; a detector array of several metres diameter had to be arranged in a small canister along with the sophisticated micro-electronics; a special compass had to be developed. The complex had to be rugged enough to be dropped from a height and able to withstand the immersion. Differences in temperature between the aircraft bay and the water presented considerable problems; this was particularly true of the version for the United Kingdom, whose operational environment included sometimes freezing temperatures. The total system was demonstrated in 1970, and work proceeded to the production models. AWA had a major development and production contract.The techniques developed in this work provided other opportunities. From the 1960s there had been considerable interest in sonar systems using arrays of detectors towed behind surface vessels. Theoretical studies were undertaken, and some sea experiments. Navies of the great powers had adopted them for special purposes but none seemed suitable for the Royal Australian Navy. In 1980, DRCS began development of new concepts leading to the project called Karriwarra which had its first sea trials in 1983.
Organisations in Australian Science at Work - Amalagamated Wireless Australia (A.W.A.); Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (C.A.C.); Project Karriwarra; Royal Australian Naval Research Laboratories (R.A.N.R.L.)
People in Bright Sparcs - d'Assumpcao, H. A.
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Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering |  |
© 1988 Print Edition pages 969 - 970, Online Edition 2000
Published by Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, using the Web Academic Resource Publisher
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