One dish covers all

DSTO’s multi-band tactical satellite earth terminal, developed under the Capability and Technology Demonstrator project, on display at the CSIRO ICT Centre in Sydney.

Photo from Army newspaper

DSTO has successfully demonstrated leading edge technology that may significantly improve Defence satellite communications.

The multi-band tactical satellite earth terminal is thought to be a world first and was developed under the Capability and Technology Demonstrator (CTD) project JP2094.

DSTO managed the project and developed the satellite earth terminal with CSIRO and other contractors.

The demonstration of the multi-band earth terminal technology was conducted at the CSIRO ICT Centre in Sydney.
DSTO research engineer Peter Kerr said this was believed to be the first demonstration of such a capability anywhere in the world.

“The Department of Defence needs the utility of a multi-band antenna, such as those used in radio astronomy and deep space research, but the target is much smaller antennas.

“The ADF needs SATCOM terminals that can be rapidly deployed to remote areas in support of operations,” he said.

“This CTD gave us the opportunity to challenge CSIRO to develop high performance, low cost RF technology suitable for military satellite communication applications.”

The live demonstration showcased typical satellite services used by the ADF but demonstrated the extra benefits available when accessing X band and Ka band satellite transponders simultaneously.

Positive feedback from Defence and industry was received on the achievements of the CTD and the demonstration.

All of the proposed capability benefits in the original proposal were demonstrated.

The terminal, built by DSTO and CSIRO, met all required specifications for the CTD.
The project came in on time and within budget.

DSTO is now working with the Capability Development Group and DMO to explore options for introducing the technology into service.

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