The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) has a key role in providing the science and technology support to Australia's participation in the Joint Strike Fighter Program. DSTO's role encompasses;

• Studies and analysis of JSF operational usage and technology, and wider New Air Combat Capability (NACC) issues, pertaining to Australian capability.
• Leadership and participation in non-financial contributions to the JSF System Development and Demonstration (SDD) process
• Participation with, and support to, Australian industry in its bid to procure a significant proportion of the contracts to be issued over the course of the SDD.

Part of the aim of DSTO's involvement is to provide advice to enable Defence and the Government to be an intelligent partner in the SDD and potential acquisition process. JSF will be an innovative, technologically advanced aircraft, and as such will make use of technologies that currently are not in use by the ADF. Therefore DSTO will be conducting research in an effort to understand the new technologies, their impact on the new aircraft, and how they fit into the wider capability mix of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Technology areas of interest include:

• Composite materials and advanced metals
• Low Observable technology
• Weapons
• Radar and Electronic Warfare (EW)
• Multi Sensor Integration and Mission Systems

DSTO will also be looking to understand how the new aircraft would operate in the wider ADF. With new capabilities being obtained by Defence, perhaps most notably the Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft, it is important to know how best to use the new aircraft. Much work will go into operational analysis that supports concepts of operations, tactics and training as well as seeking to understand differences in the support and maintenance of the aircraft.

The JSF Project Office (JPO) is establishing the Joint Strike Fighter Science and Technology Board (JSTAB) to guide its long-term science and technology strategy. The JSTAB will review emerging technologies as well as addressing the JSF Technical Needs List. DSTO will put forward a submission to address some of the issues on the needs list, and will be looking to contribute to future activities of the JSTAB.

As part of Australia's contribution to the SDD program, DSTO is conducting a study into how the JSF would integrate into a Pacific Rim coalition. In such a coalition it is important to consider the command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) system which examines how the various members of the coalition interact together. A Pacific Rim coalition may involve several different nations with a variety of national C4ISR systems and may be led by the US or by other nations such as Australia. The C4ISR study was set up to detail the required characteristics of potentially networked Pacific Rim coalition C4ISR systems and how the JSF capability would be integrated into such systems.

As part of the response to this role, a DSTO team has been placed within the NACC as an integral part of the Integrated Project Team (IPT). This team is responsible for the day to day co-ordination of all DSTO support to NACC and associated bodies as well as the actual conduct of specified short-term studies and analysis as directed by Director General (NACC), Air Commodore John Harvey.

The DSTO team in the NACC IPT is lead by Dr Bruce Brown. Bruce was most recently DSTO's Scientific Advisor to the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO). In that role he was responsible for coordinating the planning & delivery of science and technology support to the DMO, and specifically to advise the Chief Defence Scientist, the DSTO Executive and research and development units on the implications of DMO priorities, activities, trends and developments. Dr Brown is responsible for facilitating interactions between the NACC IPT, DSTO, Australian Industry and other science and technology agencies including advising on and facilitating the transition of S&T advice through the Capability Management Cycle.

Contact details:
R2-1-A006
Russell Offices
CANBERRA ACT 2600
(02) 62655120