Science & Technology – CONTACT magazine

Self-image of Defence Science and Technology Group's nanosatellite, Buccaneer Main Mission, using its secondary system – the Manoeuvrable Antenna and Terrestrial Imaging System. Story by Emma Thompson.

Satellite’s progress is out of this world

08/10/202508/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 342 Views 0 Comments Cubesats, DSTG

It’s been six months since the Buccaneer Main Mission satellite was launched into low-Earth orbit and the team at Defence

News Royal Australian Navy Science & Technology

Navy launches new eye in the sky

03/10/202503/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 572 Views 0 Comments 822X Squadron, Integrator, Jervis Bay, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS)

A sunny day in Jervis Bay was the backdrop for 822X Squadron’s first launch and recovery of Navy’s newest uncrewed

Minister for Defence Richard Marles and Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy at at Fleet Base East in Sydney, inspect a Ghost Shark prototype before announcing the contract with Anduril Australia to acquire a new fleet of Australian designed and built extra-large autonomous undersea vehicles – known as Ghost Sharks – for the Royal Australian Navy. ADF photo by Kym Smith.

Australian News Royal Australian Navy Science & Technology Sovereign industry

Govt orders “dozens” of Oz-made Ghost Sharks

10/09/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1266 Views 4 Comments Anduril, Ghost Shark

The government is investing $1.7 billion to acquire a new fleet of Australian‑designed and built extra-large autonomous undersea vehicles –

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey with Dr Michael Sharp at a Defence Science and Technology Group display on board HMS Prince of Wales. Photo by Jay Cronan.

Australian Border Force News Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Navy Science & Technology

Australia, UK partner on guided weapons R&D

22/08/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 4197 Views 0 Comments DSTG, Minister for Defence

The adoption of novel weapons and tactics in today’s battlespace is happening at an extremely rapid rate. CAPTION: Australian Deputy Prime

Defence scientist Nicole Blaess conducts research at Defence Science and Technology Group Edinburgh. Story by Robert Nutbrown. Photo supplied.

Australian Army Cyber News Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Navy Science & Technology Space Division Videos

Quantum science guides new way of navigating

15/08/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 6634 Views 0 Comments DSTG, National Science Week

The future of navigation might rely not on satellites but on sub-atomic particles. CAPTION: Defence scientist Nicole Blaess conducts research at

Defence fuel chemist Dr Dave Evans ensures that fuels perform as intended. Story by Robert Nutbrown. Photo by Megan Sheppard.

Australian Army Cyber News Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Navy Science & Technology Space Division

Good chemistry keeps Defence moving

13/08/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 3174 Views 2 Comments DSTG, Net Zero Strategy, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)

Addressing climate change is a shared responsibility for our society, from the choices individuals make to the way organisations go

Navy marine technician Able Seaman Lachlan Hannan conducts work in the Deployable Additive Manufacturing and Repair unit near Gladstone during Exercise Talisman Sabre. Story and photos by Corporal Michael Rogers.

News Royal Australian Navy Science & Technology Talisman Sabre

Navy prints solutions to operational problems

08/08/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 2845 Views 0 Comments 3d Printer, Additive Manufacturing and Repair Capability (DAMR), Exercise Talisman Sabre

In a shipping container near Gladstone, Navy’s newest engineering asset hummed to life during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025. CAPTION: Navy marine

An MQ-28A Ghost Bat takes off for flight testing during Exercise Carlsbad at RAAF Base Tindal. Story by Flight Lieutenant Kayla Walliss. Photo by Leading Aircraftman Ryan Howell.

News Royal Australian Air Force Science & Technology Videos

Ghost Bat spreads its wings in Tindal

25/06/202529/06/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 7562 Views 0 Comments Exercise Carlsbad, MQ-28A Ghost Bat, RAAF Tindal

Exercise Carlsbad has wrapped up at RAAF Base Tindal after the successful deployment and operation of the MQ-28A Ghost Bat

Gunner Jake McKean and Gunner Fergus Eastaugh assess the trailer-mounted UAV recovery system during Exercise Chimera Walk at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Queensland. Story and photos by Captain Tadek Markowski.

Australian Army News Science & Technology

Gunners test new eyes in the sky

30/04/202504/05/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 2783 Views 0 Comments 20th Regiment, Exercise Chimera Walk, Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Tactical Uncrewed Aerial Systems (TUAS), Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

The ADF’s Tactical Uncrewed Aerial Systems (TUAS) program came into sharp focus during Exercise Chimera Walk at the Shoalwater Bay

Defence Science and Technology Group scientist Dr Ben Sparkes, left, works with Australian-built quantum clocks at the University of Adelaide. He is now part of a research project to create and deliver a ground-to-satellite optical quantum link. Story by Emma Thompson.

Australian Army News Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Navy Science & Technology Videos

New quantum tech to enhance battlespace

15/04/202528/04/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 6098 Views 0 Comments DSTG

The Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) is leading a new cutting-edge quantum research project to enhance secure timing technologies

An Australian Army soldier from the 1st Armoured Regiment with an uncrewed ground vehicle equipped with a prototype communications system and experimental drone launcher during Project Convergence Capstone 5 at Fort Irwin, California. Photo by Corporal Nakia Chapman.

Australian Army News Science & Technology USA

Large Army contingent converge on US for drone tests

03/04/2025 Posted by Brian Hartigan 2786 Views 1 Comment

A hostile desert setting may seem an unusual place to test fragile, high-tech military prototypes, but there may be no

Wing Commander Phil Parsons, from the Collaborative Autonomous Systems Project Office, speaks with aviators and representatives from Boeing about the capabilities of the Boeing MQ-28 at the Australian International Airshow 2025. Story by Flight Lieutenant Sharon Sebastian. Photo by Leading Aircraftman Campbell Latch.

News Royal Australian Air Force Science & Technology Videos

Budgie steers RAAF into new era of air power

28/03/202510/04/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 6876 Views 0 Comments Australian International Airshow, MQ-28A Ghost Bat

Celebrating 40 years of distinguished service, Wing Commander Philip Parsons, affectionately known as “Budgie”, is leading the charge into the

MakerSpace site supervisor Daniel Deleur shows Craftsmen Edward Viney and Dylan Mountain things people have made, during a site induction at the MakerSpace on Robertson Barracks. Story and photos by Warrant Officer Class 2 Max Bree.

Australian Army News Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Navy Science & Technology

MakerSpace solves big problems with clever ideas

18/03/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 2956 Views 1 Comment 3d Printer, MakerSpace, Robertson Barracks

Tucked away on Robertson Barracks lies a workshop that hums with creativity, problem-solving and quiet ingenuity. CAPTION: MakerSpace site supervisor Daniel

Exercise Western Dawn participants experience 'The 90° Wedge', a 3.8m diagonal 3D display at the HIVE (Hub for Immersive Visualisation and eResearch) at Curtin University, Perth. Story by Major Dean Benson. Photos by Corporal Nakia Chapman.

Australian Army News Science & Technology

New dawn of innovation

29/01/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 2912 Views 0 Comments 13 Engineer Regiment, 13th Brigade, Exercise Western Dawn

Soldiers, students and some sharp minds from defence industry came together for six weeks in Perth recently to deliver an

Participants of the first Air Force Test Ranges Squadron Defence Remote Pilot Licence Course, conducted at Evans Head, NSW, and led by Squadron Leader Martin Young. Story by Corporal Steven Lawton. Photo by Corporal David Martin.

News Royal Australian Air Force Science & Technology

Small effort, high pay-off for security drones

03/01/202504/01/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 3573 Views 0 Comments Air Force Test Ranges Squadron (AFTRSQN), Air Warfare Centre, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS)

With a large estate of test and training ranges across the country, the Air Warfare Centre’s Air Force Test Ranges

Major Gerard Hinchliffe, of 1st Intelligence Battalion, gives Commander 6th Brigade, Brigadier Deane Limmer, a tour of the Level 2 material exploitation facility at Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera. Story by Major John Yialeloglou. Photos by Lance Corporal Luke Donegan.

Australian Army News Science & Technology

Specialised facility counters IED threats

20/12/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 3798 Views 0 Comments 1st Intelligence Battalion, 6th Brigade, DSTG, Gallipoli Barracks, improvised explosive device (IED), level two counter-IED weapons technical intelligence (L2 WTI)

Gallipoli Barracks was recently the scene for an inspection of one of the ADFs new level two counter-IED weapons technical

An F-35A tests the Dura-Base matting during the two-week trial of the temporary surface at RAAF Base Tindal, NT. Story by John Noble.

News Royal Australian Air Force Science & Technology

RAAF trials new airfield-extending surface mats

26/11/202428/11/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 3424 Views 0 Comments Dura-Base, No. 65 Air Base Recovery Squadron, RAAF Tindal

Innovation in the Royal Australian Air Force is helping generate and deliver effective air power in Australia’s north with a

Australian Army soldier Corporal Sam Kelly prepares an uncrewed aerial system with a mounted LiDAR unit for a test flight at Gallipoli Barracks, Brisbane. Story by Captain Nigel Jacobs. Photo by Lance Corporal Luke Donegan.

Australian Army News Science & Technology

Taking flight to cover more ground

20/11/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 2274 Views 0 Comments 12th Chief Engineer Works (12CEW), Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS)

12th Chief Engineer Works (12CEW) in Brisbane is trialling a new capability to capture detailed spatial data over larger areas

Marine engineers from HMAS Brisbane tour the South West Regional Maintenance Center in San Diego in the US, as part of a scheduled maintenance period to upgrade the ship’s systems. Story by Marie Davies. Photos by Petty Officer Andrew Coleman.

News Royal Australian Navy Science & Technology USA

Aussie marine engineers check out USN 3D technologies

25/10/202426/10/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 3254 Views 0 Comments Brisbane, US Navy

Marine engineers from HMAS Brisbane toured the South West Regional Maintenance Centre (SWRMC) in San Diego, United States, as part

Dr Miriem Santander Borrego is a chemical science specialist working with materials in the Extreme Environment Materials & Forensics laboratory at the DST Group Eagle Farm, Brisbane. Story by Flight Lieutenant Marina Power. Photo by Scott Sarstedt-McCarthy.

ADF People Science & Technology

Extreme science with meaning

25/10/2024 Posted by Mike Hughes 2363 Views 0 Comments DSTG

Extreme temperatures, futuristic testing chambers, advanced equipment, Bunsen burners and flammable materials are all in a day’s work for Miriem

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