Australia and Japan to Research Hydrodynamics

In what must surely be one of the most monumental coincidences in Defence history, Australia and Japan have signed a cooperative research arrangement on marine hydrodynamics.

Chief Defence Scientist Alex Zelinsky made the announcement today - the day after the closing deadline on submission for Australia’s future submarine program - in which the former Abbott government clearly favoured Japan.

“While the research being undertaken is not connected to the Competitive Evaluation Process currently underway to assess Australia’s future submarine needs, the results from the research will have broad applicability to Australia’s future maritime projects,” Dr Zelinsky said.

“The collaborative research program will be undertaken by Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group and Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency.

“This is an excellent start to our new relationship in defence science and technology cooperation.

“This is the first joint defence research project to be conducted by our two countries,” Dr Zelinsky said.

“Understanding hydrodynamics is vital for the future of Australia’s maritime defence and this collaboration will greatly benefit our technology development in this area.

“The collaborative research program will involve experimental work at facilities in Japan as well as at the DST Group laboratory in Melbourne and the Australian Maritime College in the University of Tasmania.”

Dr Zelinsky said researchers from both countries had already visited each other’s facilities and scoped the collaborative work to be undertaken.

“Our defence scientists are very excited at the prospect of working with their Japanese counterparts and look forward to achieving some innovative outcomes for Australia’s maritime defence.”