Industry on display at Army Innovation Day 2016

For the third consecutive year, the Australian Army has invited industry to demonstrate their leading equipment, tools and enabling systems, at the annual Army Innovation Day held in Canberra today.

Themed ‘manned and unmanned teaming for the soldier’, 20 companies representing domestic and international manufacturers demonstrated 24 innovative products to Army capability specialists and decision makers.

The Army’s Head of Modernisation and Strategic Planning, Major General Fergus McLachlan, AM, said the Army’s annual Innovation Day was an important demonstration of the cooperation between Defence and industry.

“The drive to innovate has established the Australian Army as a forward thinking organisation, equipped and ready to meet the challenges of the future battlefield,” Major General McLachlan said.

“At Army Innovation Day 2016, we have explored remote systems operated by the soldier on the battlefield; and new and emerging technologies which operate around, or independently of the soldier in a conflicted environment.

“We are excited by the potential of the products on show to the Army, but also by the prospect of identifying systems to progress for testing and user evaluation by our soldiers in Army units.”

The Australian Army’s Innovation Day facilitates direct engagement between the
Army and industry on leading technologies which can be readily accessed in the short term, or inform major capability initiatives over the long term.

2016 industry presentations included autonomous vehicles, small unmanned aerial vehicles, counter-improvised threat systems, electronic weapons sights, 3D immersive displays, mobile automatic targets, information fusion displays, and robotic exoskeletons.

The Army has issued contracts to 13 companies that have presented at the previous Army Innovation Day events, representing investment of over $100m in new technologies to enhance Army capabilities.

Media note:

Imagery from Army Innovation Day 2016 is available at the following link: http://images.defence.gov.au/S20162591