Edinburgh to get turntable

A TURNTABLE capable of holding and rotating a 60-tonne aircraft will be built at RAAF Base Edinburgh to aid the Defence Science and Technology Organisation’s electronic warfare research.

The turntable will be able to handle a range of aircraft – including C-130Js, jet fighters, trainers, Black Hawks – and the Army’s Abrams tanks.

A design brief also calls for investigations into the ability of the turntable to handle the Air Force’s Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft.

The turntable will enable DSTO scientists to analyse the radar “signatures” of Australian military aircraft by turning the aircraft towards radar measurement equipment rather than moving the sensor equipment.

No other precision turntable of such size exists in Australia. DSTO scientist Dr Cheng Anderson said moving radar equipment to gather radar signature information was time-consuming and could lead to errors because the radar’s immediate environment was changed and its orientation affected.

The ADF uses radar signature information to identify and distinguish between friendly and adversary aircraft. DSTO also uses this information to modify the signature of Australian military aircraft for self-protection.

The turntable will be built within nine months with funding from the Defence Materiel Organisation. It is expected to cost about $1 million.

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