Australian Defence Magazine Podcast

In this episode, Grant McHerron visits BAE Systems Australia (BAESA) at Edinburgh Parks to talk with Ashley Searl, Director of Strategic Surveillance, and Nathan Herrmann, HF Sensing Program Director, about the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) and the recently confirmed sale of Over The Horizon Radar (OTHR) technology to Canada.

We begin our discussion by reviewing the history of JORN, starting from early experiments in the 1950s with high-frequency signals and progressing to the current three sites in WA, NT and QLD being controlled from RAAF Base Edinburgh. We then cover the current activities on JORN, including...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We open with a discussion of the Hormuz Strait being closed once again which leads to the topic of Uncrewed Surface Vessels being used as weapons, indicating a new phase of naval warfare is beginning. This segways into a discussion about Saronic's Corsair USV which is currently being pitched to our Navy. The Corsair has recently been in the news as one was used to rescue the crew...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron talks with Frederico Lemos, Chief Commercial Officer, Embraer Defence & Security, about the KC-390 Millenium multi-mission airlifter and tanker prior to its appearance at the Farnborough International Airshow.

We begin by exploring the KC-390 Millennium's capabilities, including its design for multiple missions such as airlift and aerial refuelling. We then delve into how it can rapidly reconfigure its cargo space between seating, stretchers, or basic cargo configurations, along with the flight management system, load management, and modular multi-mission capabilities.

Frederico discusses Embraer's development of a flying boom system alongside...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We open with a discussion of the new Defence Delivery Group that started on 1st July and will transition to being the Defence Delivery Agency on 1st July 2027. There are many ways that this could become another failed attempt at changing Defence but there is hope and only time will tell.

After that, we look at the sale of the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) Over...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Christopher Rule, the General Manager for Defence, Security and Resilience at GME, about navigating the defence industry landscape and the government's push for support sovereign capability .

We begin our discussion by exploring GME’s products, services, and clients, including their three-pillar business model of engineering and advanced manufacturing services, partnerships with US-based cybersecurity firms, and acquisition of Eylex for defence capabilities. We examine the sourcing of their components, noting that strict requirements often necessitate international suppliers despite Australia's sovereign manufacturing focus. Our discussion also explores government initiatives supporting this goal, su...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Nick Floyd and James Eling of the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company (RAAHC) regarding the RAAHC and the Firepower seminars being conducted this year around Australia.

We begin our discussion by exploring the history and purpose of RAAHC, including its formation in 1981 as a volunteer organization dedicated to preserving Australian artillery heritage . We then delve into the Firepower seminar series, which has previously examined World War I and II artillery experiences, and the topics for this year's presentations which are reviewing Australia's mobilization challenges during the buildup to WWII and...

In this episode, Grant McHerron and Neill Morgan, the partner for maritime sustainment at Coras, discuss the importance of sustainment for Defence.

Our discussion starts by exploring the importance of including sustainment in defence acquisition processes early on. We delve into blind spots such as industry's tendency to treat sustainment as an afterthought, often overlooking risks like poor technical documentation or unclear data rights that stem from this delay and how predictable risks (e.g., obsolescence and funding gaps) which are frequently underestimated due to inadequate upfront planning.

We conclude with the necessity of proper...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We start the episode discussing Boeing's MQ-28A Ghost Bat which is being displayed at the ILA Berlin Air Show as it's in consideration for Germany's Collaborative Combat Aircraft role. Boeing announced at the event a series of upgraded capabilities for the MQ-28 along with the addition of Diehl Defence and Rohde & Schwarz to the Ghost Bat industry team. From there we move on to the announcement that...

In this episode we present the audio from the recent online event organised by ADM Women in Defence and National Security and the Women in Defence UK organisation. The event commenced with an introduction from the Hon Pat Conroy MP, Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for Pacific Island Affairs.

The event's MC was Angela Owen OBE, founder of Women in Defence UK, and the discussion panel consisted of Karin Vosmansky, Executive Director at Mack Valves Pty Ltd, Kisa Christensen, Director for Integrated Defence and Autonomy Systems (IDAS) at BAE, Donna Sinnick, Chief Delivery Officer at Babcock...

This episode is a compilation of interviews we recorded at the Indian Ocean Defence and Security 2026 event held in Perth in May. During the show, Kirra and Grant were able to catch up with Senator James Paterson, then Grant recorded a number of interviews with Ocius, Greenroom Robotics, Hyperion, Ausco Group, GlenAir, and Quantum Systems Australia. We hope you enjoy this compilation of content from IODS 2026.

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Senator James Paterson confirms his advocacy for AUKUS and recommends that a supplementary capability be established in place of Collins LOTE to bridge the gap to obtaining nuclear su...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Dino Mavrookas, the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Saronic Technologies about its approach to autonomous surface vessels.

We begin our discussion by getting into Dino’s background as a former US Navy SEAL, evaluating the rapid growth in shipbuilding in China, and how Saronic Technologies is using a vertically integrated approach in their design and manufacturing. We review its flagship vessel models, the rapid uptake of contracts since the company was launched in 2022, and its ability to upscale across multiple services.

We wrap up by looking at Sa...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We start by welcoming back Ewen and noting that in the eight weeks or so that he's been away the Strait of Hormuz remains closed with the US Navy unable to re-open it. We look at what this means for military engagements going forward, and the issues associated with keeping the very important sea lanes open in the straits to our North. The Middle East situation and the...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Dean Rosenfield, CEO of Nova Systems, about the company’s provision of sovereign services in support of the National Defence Strategy (NDS).

Our discussion gives us an insight into Dean’s experience holding the role of CEO for the last two years, how Nova in collaboration with SMEs across all domains is growing into a sovereign prime, and how this ensures Defence can manage risk effectively throughout design to sustainment. We explore Nova's significant contributions to Australia's self-reliance, its ability to deliver interoperability during crises, and enhance communication between agencies.

For this episode, Grant McHerron went to Arkeus' office in Melbourne to meet with Simon Owen, the company's co-founder and CEO. Their discussion covers Arkeus, their technology, their contracts here and abroad, and their latest news regarding funding and expansion.

We start with a discussion of the inspiration behind Arkeus and the company's history to date, which then leads into a description of their "Hyperspectral optical radar systems," their method of operation, their size, weight and power, and the drones the systems are currently operating with. We also learn how much of these systems is being produced...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Matt Kirk, the Director of Trusted Workforce at Worksec, and we’ll be discussing the importance of a trusted workforce.

We begin our discussion by exploring the current workforce issue in defence and government sectors, focusing on the bottleneck caused by trust concerns rather than technological limitations. We examine how projects can be delayed due to personnel clearance issues, with companies often finding themselves unable to proceed because they lack cleared staff at critical stages like tendering. The conversation delves into why this issue hasn't been fixed yet, highlighting factors su...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We start with traffic still not clearing the Hormuz Strait and the implications it has for farmers, fuel reserves and Defence capability. Fortunately the NDS & IIP are calling out improvements to our on-shore fuel storage.

Next up we congratulate SYPAQ Sustems' Corvo X small UAS entering into service, including on-going innovation and updates being included in the sustainment agreement. From there we look at the Land 8113 Phase 2 announcement...

This episode presents a set of interviews with representatives from three organisations that provide assistance to Australian Defence Force veterans and their families. All three rely heavily on donations and volunteers to ensure those in need are supported. We hope this episode will help increase awareness of their efforts and perhaps inspire people and companies to contribute to a worthy cause.

We open the episode with Graham Boyd from Legacy, next is Martin Shaw from Wounded Heroes, then we close with Paul Singer from Soldier On.

Links:

Legacy

https...

This episode collects a number of interviews recorded at the Singapore Airshow 2026 during February. The episode starts with Bob Gibbs, Vice President of Global Sales and Strategy at Textron Aviation, who discusses their multi-mission aircraft lineup, how they support military clients with upgrades, sensor integration and mission-specific modifications, and also an update on the SkyCourier.

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Next up is Terry van Haren from DroneShield who shares his background as a retired Air Commodore with extensive experience in counter-drone technology development. We discuss how DroneShield is expanding rapidly into the Asia-Pacific market, including Singapore and Southeast As...

In this episode, Grant McHerron visits BAE Systems Australia and talks with Kisa Christensen, Director of Integrated Defence and Autonomy Systems (IDAS), and Stuart Bryden, Business Development Manager. We discuss BAE Systems’ history of producing autonomous systems and missiles and the Company’s involvement with Australia's Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordinance (GWEO) initiative.

We begin by exploring Kisa Christensen's role as Director of Integrated Defence and Autonomy Systems focusing on sovereign guided weapons capabilities and we delve into Stuart Bryden's role in business development, with his expertise in autonomy and rapid product development for the defence sector.

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Nigel Pittaway and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

The big news is, of course, that the NDS and IIP have been released so we've been working through them to look for any surprises or concerns. There's plenty of missiles and provision for upgrades to the E-7A Wedgetail, BAE Hawk, and Hobart class Air Warfare Destroyers, which all are then to be replaced before the end of the ten year coverage of the IIP. Virginia class...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Michael Irwin, Founder and CEO of Breaker Industries, about how its autonomous platform turns human intent into robotic support.

We begin our discussion by getting a history of Michael’s career and Breaker Industries, and assess the differences between true autonomy vs remote control. We review how the system was built from the autonomous decision making protocols, to authentication and validation measures, and voice recognition training. Michael shares how the software is installed and the open modular design to connect many existing systems across multiple domains, making it integrate and ad...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Pete Smith, CEO of Ocean Software, about their sovereign built software FlightPRO® and its global growth.

We begin our discussion by exploring Pete Smith's role as CEO of Ocean Software, focusing on their global growth in military training management and delve into Ocean's clients, including NATO members and European countries like Hungary, as well as outline how FlightPRO is used for tracking qualifications and managing wing operations. We then examine the challenges faced by defence forces regarding operational readiness and mission allocation and how they are addressed through data-driven analytics t...

This episode collects a number of interviews recorded at the Singapore Airshow 2026 during February. The episode starts with Dan McQuestin, Business Development Director at Bell, who discusses their 429 and 505 aircraft, virtual reality in their simulators, and the 505's ability to fly with or without augmentation to cover basic through to advanced training. We also talk about their involvement with military training, including the US Army's Flight School Next program, South Korea's military, and others, plus the recently released request from the ADF for a service to augment maintaining pilot currency.

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Next up is Greg El...

Ewen Levick and Nigel Pittaway discuss the Hunter Class Frigate Program, with build of the first three ships well under way and more information being supplied about the ship design and the program itself.

After discussing the current status, we consider the ship's design which is based on the UK's Type 26 Frigate, itself a replacement for their Type 23, noting the complexity of the design, its need to run as quietly as possible, and the differences Australia has introduced to the baseline. We also note that while Norway is buying the identical ship to the UK's design, the...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with two representatives of K39 Consulting: Sarah Dean, their Managing Director, and Darren Owen, the CEO about the changes and challenges in the defence munitions landscape that has been brought upon by recent geopolitical conflicts.

We begin our discussion by exploring K39C's history along with Sarah and Darren's careers, highlighting their expertise within defence and industry. We examine major patterns observed among allies since 2022, focusing on supply chain vulnerabilities exposed by recent conflicts, which signals a need for Australia to prioritise sovereign capability development. Our discussion also addresses the challenges...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron and Ewen Levick review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We open with a discussion about the Defence Major Projects Report coming to an end, which is reducing the public's access to how Defence is spending billions of dollars, including project delays, major issues, and more. Previous ANAO reports have helped identify significant deficiencies in LHD sustainment and more, so given the volumes of money involved in these projects, the secrecy now being established is of great concern.

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In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Sam Vye, founder and CEO of SYOS Aerospace, about its recent contract with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) to supply uncrewed vehicles across air, land, and sea domains.

We explore SYOS’s history and the benefits of contracting to a sovereign provider, then delve into how these systems are designed for experimentation in current conflict environments. Our discussion also examines the importance of operational testing versus simulation, highlighting real world lessons from deployments like those in Ukraine.

We wrap up by assessing SYOS's role as a sovereign ca...

Ewen Levick and Nigel Pittaway discuss Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat, the first aircraft designed and built in Australia in over 50 years. Originally referred to as the Boeing Airpower Teaming System under the Loyal Wingman Advanced Development Program, the first flight of the uncrewed system was on 27th February 2021 and it was officially named the MQ-28A Ghost Bat on 21st March 2022.

Following a summary of the product's history, we then look at the differences between the Block 1, 2 & 3 versions, and the reporting by some media that Ghost Bat wouldn't be armed. The discussion also covers Boeing's new production...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick, Nigel Pittaway and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We start with the current military operations over Iran and the Middle East, which Ewen notes can be traced from the 2020 assassination of Iran's General Qasem Soleimani through Hamas' attack on October 7th, 2023, and the collapses since then. We then talk about ADM Congress and the Women in Defence and National Security breakfast session held on the same day, before reviewing the government's Co-Investment Fund that...

In this episode we present audio from the Women in Defence Network's breakfast session held at Indo-Pacific 2025 that was hosted by AtkinsRéalis and supported by Women in Nuclear Australia and Women’s Defence Connection. The session explored the theme of 125 years of the Royal Australian Navy: legacy, leadership, and a nuclear-propelled future.

Beth Fitzpatrick, AtkinsRéalis' Defence Consulting Lead for Australia, confirms the importance to AtkinsRéalis of sponsoring the event and introduces our speakers, Commander Kathryn Jones of the Royal Australian Navy followed by Pamela Naidoo-Ameglio from Exige. The morning examined the evolution of women’s servi...

Grant McHerron and Nigel Pittaway discuss their views on day three of the Singapore Airshow 2026, the final trade day and their last day attending the show. They discuss some of the highlights of the flying display and also note that the day had many briefings, general discussions and one-on-one sessions with senior vendor staff.

Airbus provided briefings on their H-160 helicopter and also on their H-Teaming system for manned/unmanned teaming, both of which will feature in upcoming ADM articles. Boeing provided a briefing on the upcoming version 6.5 of the Apache's onboard software system which includes a...

Grant McHerron and Nigel Pittaway discuss their views on day two of the Singapore Airshow 2026 where the crowds are even bigger, potentially the most crowded Nigel's ever seen it and this is the 10th one he's attended.

Grant's caught up with Ondas about their ground and low-altitude defence system of systems, plus had a tour of Embraer's KC-390 after an update with their Defence team. Airbus Defence & Space provided a media briefing where they announced the MRTT Automated Air-to-Air Refuelling (A3R) has been fully certified by the RSAF, something the RAAF is very interested in.

Grant McHerron and Nigel Pittaway discuss their views on day one of the Singapore Airshow 2026 where vendors have been saying they've been kept very busy and are trying to make space in their schedules for all the meetings. There's also been announcements including Lockheed Martin stating that RAAF F-35s achieved FOC in December and Embraer announcing that the KC-390 tanker/transport has been selected by Uzbekistan. Embraer were asked about progress on adding a boom to the KC-390 but details were not forthcoming at this stage.

Other information included that the Republic of Singapore Air Force...

This episode collects a number of interviews recorded at the Indo Pacific 2025 event held in Sydney at the start of November. We start by speaking to Dr Shane Arnott, Chief Engineer at Anduril Industries, about the success of their Ghost Shark unmanned submarine program which has a $170 million contract with the RAN. We also discuss the strategic shift towards unmanned systems for naval operations, and the considerable adoption of such submarines by the Royal Australian Navy. We examine other maritime approaches by Anduril, like its Copperhead (small diameter undersea robot) and Sea Bed Century (subsea sensors), designed to network...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick, Nigel Pittaway and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We start with the government's announcement that they will be restructuring the Defence acquisition organisation with Capability Managers moving under VCDF while CASG, GWEO & NSSG get moved into a new Agency that will report directly to the Minister. Will this resolve the issue of late deliveries and scope creep? Lets watch this space and see.

We also note that Turkey claims that one of...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Nick Ross, Head of Defence for Pexip, about their secure video collaboration software platform.

We begin our discussion by exploring Pexip’s background specializing in video collaboration software for interoperability and security and its mission to provide communication tools irrespective of technology or security level. The conversation then delves into Pexip's focus on connecting diverse platforms and supporting self-hosted secure deployment. We learn about its partnerships with Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Nvidia to deliver AI features like language translation in meetings, and emphasize the importance of controlling data within fi...

This episode collects a number of interviews recorded at the Indo Pacific 2025 event held in Sydney at the start of November. Starting with Grant McHerron and Max Blenkin talking with Marcus Hellyer, Strategic Advisor at C2 Robotics, to explore the company's guiding philosophy of generating mass affordably using autonomous systems. We delve into C2 Robotics' heritage in electro-optical sensors and machine learning for navigation within GPS-denied environments, and the development of their Large Uncrewed Underwater Vessel, Speartooth, We wrap up by reviewing the company's initial export success and participation in the Royal Australian Navy's Autonomous Warrior trials, and emphasizing...

This episode collects a number of interviews recorded at the Indo Pacific 2025 event held in Sydney at the start of November. Starting with William Egan, Senior Vice President - Sales & Marketing at Teledyne Marine, covering the company's water gliders, which are designed for long duration deep ocean travel, as per their Sentinel Mission circumnavigating the world. We then assess their modular design that allows changing sensor packs for various missions like surveying and surveillance, and review the importance of seabed mapping and projects such as Seabed 2030, which highlights how these technologies enable discovery of new marine species and support...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick, Nigel Pittaway and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We start with a look back at Indo-Pacific 2025 event to discuss what stood out for us now that we've had some time to recover and return to regular tasks. From there we move on to discuss the recent news about DroneShield's directors selling shares (lots of that info in the news feeds) and how the counter-UAS domain requires continuous innovation as systems evolve to beat the...

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Andrew Chapman, Director - Aerospace, and Christopher "Planko" Plain, Business Development & Strategy Manager, at BAE Systems Australia about sustaining the RAAF's F-35 and Hawk aircraft along with supplying Aviation Technical Training in Wagga Wagga.

We begin our discussion by reviewing BAE System’s current expansion of facilities to support the F-35,  how Andrew and Christopher’s careers prepared them for their roles, and the modernisation of the Hawks so they can be utilised to train pilots for the F-35. We get an insight into the evolution of the training program, the c...