Jindalee Operational Radar Network
Encyclopedia : J : JI : JIN : Jindalee Operational Radar Network
The Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) is an over-the-horizon radar network that can monitor air and sea movements across 37,000km2. It has an official range of 3,000 km but depending upon certain atmospheric conditions has a range up to and including the Korean peninsula. It is used in the defence of Australia and can also monitor maritime operations, wave heights and wind directions. It was built by RLM Management [RLM Group web site], then in Burwood East in Melbourne, in partnership with Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Lockheed Martin, Telstra, BAE and Tenix Defence Systems. Up to now, the network has cost approximately $A1.8 billion.
The JORN consists of 2 active radar stations; one near Longreach, Queensland and another near Laverton, Western Australia. Each radar station consists of a transmitter site and a receiver site, separated by a large distance to prevent the transmitter from interfering with the receiver. The four JORN transmitter and receiver sites are:
- the Longreach transmitter, with ninety degree coverage (),
- the Longreach receiver, with ninety degree coverage (),
- the Laverton transmitter, with one hundred and eighty degree coverage (), and
- the Laverton receiver, with one hundred and eighty degree coverage ().
- the transmitter at Harts RangeErwin Chlanda, [Nowhere To Hide When Alice's Radar Zeroes In], [Alice Springs News], April 28, 2004, with ninety degree coverage (), and
- the receiver at Mount Everard, with ninety degree coverage ().
The high frequency radio transmitters at Longreach and Laverton each put out a 20 kilowatt signal. The signal is bounced off the ionosphere and is received at the Longreach and Laverton stations. They use radio frequencies between about 3 and 30 MHz, which is far lower than most other civilian and military radars that operate in the microwave frequency band.
The JORN network is operated by No. 1 Radar Surveillance Unit RAAF (1RSU). Data from the JORN sites is fed to the JORN Correlation Centre at RAAF Base Edinburgh where it is passed on to other agencies and military units.
The system allows the Australian Defence Force to observe all air and sea activity north of Australia to distances of 3000km. This encompasses all of Java, Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and halfway across the Indian Ocean.
The JORN is so sensitive it was able to track planes taking off and landing in East Timor 2600 km away. It is able to detect a Cessna 172 aeroplane and reseach is underway to increase the sensitivity by "up to 100 fold". It is also reportedly able to detect stealth aircraft Michael Sinclair-Jones, [JORN assures early warning for Australia], [Defence Systems Daily], 29 February 2000; aside from the fact that most stealthy aircraft are optimized for defeating much higher-frequency radar from front-on rather than low-frequency radars from above, JORN is reputedly able to detect aircraft wake turbulence. Research is proceeding into using JORN to detect missiles, in cooperation with American missile defence research [U.S. And Australia Cooperate In Missile Detection], [Missile Defense Agency].
A significant use of the JORN is the detection of boats landing on the northern shores of Australia.
See also
References
External links
- [The Development of Over-the-Horizon Radar in Australia] - paper by D.H. Sinnott on the Australian Department of Defence website
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.