Peter La Franchi/CANBERRA

The Australian Government has given funding approval for the development of a prototype Australian-owned and operated ground station for the US Department of Defense's Space Based Infra-Red Surveillance (SBIRS)satellite system.

The funding, part of the classified component of the May 2000 Australian defence budget, will see Australian Defence Force access to the SBIRS programme, initially proceeding as a concept technology demonstration.

The prototype spy satellite ground station is due to be operationally available by 2002-3, or a year ahead of the planned deployment of the SBIRS-High network and three years ahead of the expected availability of SBIRS-Low.

The timescale suggests that the prototype ground station will initially be used in conjunction with the US DSPS infrared satellite early warning network. Australia has had access to DSPS imagery via a real-time feed from US-operated, Australia-located ground stations since the late 1980s.

The ground station project, designated Joint 2057, was scheduled to receive Australian Government approvals in the 1999 defence budget, but was delayed after the US restructured the SBIRS programme - a network of infra-red reconnassiance satellites capable of monitoring ballistic missile launches.

According to new data released by the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation, the funding approvals will see the establishment of a "minimum SBIRS processing facility at the Defence Science and Technology Organisation to allow a risk mitigation assessment of the system to be made prior to embarking on subsequent phases."

The demonstrator is to "involve the procurement of computing hardware, technical support and the implementation of relevant agreements and approvals to support software and data release from the US Government." The acquisition component is to be a US Foreign Military Sale with an application expected to be lodged early next year.

The demonstrator phase will include the development of an interface enabling SBIRS data to be integrated into Australia's Joint Command and Control System and Joint Intelligence Environment projects. The interface will allow the provision of "target reports to the Australian Defence Force's operational users."

Access to SBIRS is an important component of Australia's emerging strike-reconnaissance network which is expected to be built around the Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Strike Missile (JASSM)and, depending on the outcome of a Defence white paper, possibly a submarine-launched cruise missile capability. Australia shortlisted JASSM as its preferred solution for its Follow on Stand Off Weapon requirement late last month.

No dates have been released for government decisions for follow- on phases of Joint Project 2057, intended to establish what is being termed a "mature operational system". The final project phasing is expected to be directly linked to the timeframes achieved by both SIBRS levels.

Funding projections for Project 2057 first released by the Royal Australian Air Force in mid-1999 suggested a ceiling of A$60m ($34.9million)for the project, with this including the development of a new secure communications infrastructure to handle data between command facilities.

Source: Flight International