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Listening out for composite material defects

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Defence scientist Hannah Spratling adjusts a probe on DSTG’s immersion scanner, prior to conducting non-destructive testing of material samples.
Defence scientist Hannah Spratling adjusts a probe on DSTG’s immersion scanner, prior to conducting non-destructive testing of material samples.

How do you examine the inside of a material to check for defects without damaging it? One way is by listening to its response to sound waves, and that's what mechanical engineer Hannah Spratling does in a lab at DSTG Fishermans Bend.

Printing micro-livers to save lives

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Pictured: Natalie Withington in her DSTG laboratory with the RASTRUM bio-printer.

Natalie Withington, a molecular biologist at DSTG, is contributing to a research program that is investigating whether alternative drugs can be used as nerve agent countermeasures. This research, including the acquisition of new bio-printing equipment, is supported by Joint Health Command.

DSTG researchers recognised for advancing sovereign uncrewed aerial capability

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Pictured: Defence scientists Dr Artur Medon (centre) and Dr John McGuire (right) supporting the ASCA Sovereign UAS Challenge at one of the challenge flight trials.

Six Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) researchers have been recognised as part of a high-performing national team supporting sovereign uncrewed aerial system (UAS) capability for the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

“Waste not, want not” – researchers to create a new energy source for Defence

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A new multi-state research collaboration will advance innovative waste-to-energy solutions to support Defence operations across northern Australia.

Fleet of Ghost Sharks set to patrol our waters

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Australian-designed Ghost Sharks

The Australian Government is investing $1.7 billion in a fleet of Australian-designed and built extra-large autonomous undersea vehicles, known as Ghost Sharks, for the Royal Australian Navy.

DSTG researcher wins Eureka Prize!

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Eureka Prize winner, Dr Kamal Kant Gupta
Eureka Prize winner, Dr Kamal Kant Gupta, pictured at DSTG Edinburgh.

Congratulations to DSTG scientist Adjunct Prof Dr Kamal Gupta and his colleague Dr Jafar Shojaii (Macquarie University, and previously University of Melbourne and Swinburne University of Technology) who have won the 2025 Department of Defence Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Safeguarding Australia!

JORN is leading the way in over-the-horizon radar

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Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN)
Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN)

Australia is leading the way in over-the-horizon radar (OTHR) systems thanks to over 50 years of deep collaboration between defence scientists, industry and our ADF.

Buccaneer Nanosatellite Launch

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Buccaneer Main Mission team
Buccaneer Main Mission team

Buccaneer Main Mission, known as a CubeSat, is the second of two CubeSats launched under the Buccaneer project, following the successful launch of Buccaneer Risk Mitigation Mission in 2017.

Buccaneer Main Mission's objective is to collect high-frequency measurements in low-Earth orbit, to better understand radio-frequency propagation through the ionosphere.

Novel hybrid machine-learning approach

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Dr Eranda Galhenage
Defence scientist Dr Eranda Galhenage will lead DSTG’s involvement in this project.

DSTG is collaborating with the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia and DEWC Services on new research examining autonomous command and control (C2) of drone swarms.

A Layered Approach to Stealthier Undersea Vehicles

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Dr Chirima (left) and fellow researcher Dr Matthew Ibrahim with DSTG’s ultrasonic immersion system which is able to measure the speed of sound, transmission loss and reflection coefficients of Dr Chirima’s material samples which are immersed in the water.
Dr Chirima (left) and fellow researcher Dr Matthew Ibrahim with DSTG’s ultrasonic immersion system which is able to measure the speed of sound, transmission loss and reflection coefficients of Dr Chirima’s material samples which are immersed in the water.

Acoustic materials researcher Dr Gleny Chirima hopes to make our submarines disappear. In her recently-announced Chief Defence Scientist Fellowship, Dr Chirima will investigate an innovative layered viscoelastic coating that could dramatically reduce the signature of undersea vehicles.

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