The agreement with Advanced Navigation will see the two companies create a positioning system for tanks operating in environments where satellite navigation isn’t available.
Advanced Navigation is best known for developing technology that makes it safer and easier for lunar landers to touch down on the moon’s surface.
Its LUNA sensor takes the guesswork out of navigation by using velocity and altitude information instead of visual references, which can fail due to a lack of light or dust.
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Now the company, which has multiple bases around Australia, will aim to create an inertial navigation system that can be fitted onto aircraft or vehicles operating in war zones.
“By integrating Advanced Navigation’s IP in digital fibre-optic gyroscope (DFOG) technologies with Hanwha’s robust aerospace and defence capabilities, the agreement will look to augment Australia’s manufacturing and supply chain resilience to meet the demand of global military supply chains,” the Australian company said.
As part of the deal, Hanwha Defence Australia’s factory in Melbourne will provide facilities supporting the production and sustainment of tracked armoured vehicles, including multiple assembly lines, a 1,200-metre test track, a deep-water test facility, an obstacle course and a research and development centre.
“Stage two of the development will also include Australia’s EMI/EMC (electromagnetic interference/compatibility) chamber and test shooting tunnel alongside an expanded manufacturing capability,” Advanced Navigation said in the statement.
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“In the neighbouring state of New South Wales, Advanced Navigation’s high-tech manufacturing facility increases the secure production of APNT solutions.
“Specifically, it enhances the critical output of strategic-grade DFOGs, which possess the heightened sensitivity necessary to detect the Earth’s rotation. Advanced Navigation is one of only four companies in the world with the capability to manufacture this technology.”
Meanwhile, Hanwha also agreed to collaborate with launch business Gilmour Space Technologies.
According to reports in South Korea, the deal will see the firms “seek measures for the use of rocket launch sites in Australia, promote bilateral space industry cooperation, develop new space businesses and more”.
“We aim to strengthen our two countries’ partnership in the space industry based on the trust established through the export of K9 howitzers and the Redback infantry fighting vehicles,” Hanwha said.
Gilmour is still waiting for approval to launch its three-stage launch vehicle, Eris, which it hopes will address a gap in the global market for small satellite launch providers.
The first blast-off will be a significant moment for the local industry, as Eris is the first Australian-designed and manufactured orbital rocket.
The business had been targeting a launch in April but can’t attempt a lift-off without approval from the Australian Space Agency.
Founder Adam Gilmour previously blamed the Australian Space Agency, quipping that regulators are asking questions “you wouldn’t believe”.
Speaking at the AFR’s Entrepreneur Summit earlier this year, Gilmour even suggested officials were concerned its Eris launch vehicle could hit a passing ship.
“Like, what if a cruise ship comes out of Hawaii and goes in the path of the rocket as it’s going up [from the North Queensland coast]? And how are we not going to hit the International Space Station?” he said.
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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