NEW DELHI: In a landmark agreement in defence cooperation, India and Australia have initiated a research project to enhance undersea surveillance capabilities, focusing on early detection and tracking of submarines and autonomous underwater vehicles.As per Australia's Department of Defence, the agreement outlines a three-year joint project between Australia's Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG’s) Information Sciences Division and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO’s) Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory.The DSTG is a leading Australian govt agency, employing one of the largest number of scientists and engineers, who deliver advice and innovative solutions on matters of defence science and technology.

The Department of Defence said the research project would explore the use of towed array target motion analysis technology to improve the reliability, efficiency and interoperability of current surveillance capabilities.DSTG senior researcher Sanjeev Arulampalam explained that a towed array consists of a long linear array of hydrophones, towed behind a submarine or surface ship on a flexible cable. “We need to harness the best minds in innovation, science and technology to build new capabilities, to innovate at greater pace, and to strengthen our strategic partnerships.

The hydrophones work together to listen to the undersea environment from various directions,” the Department of Defence cited Dr Arulampalam as saying.The project is the latest milestone in increasing maritime domain awareness cooperation between Australia and India. It is significant within the Quad framework— consisting of India, Australia, US and Japan — which seeks to counter China's growing maritime belligerence in the Indo-Pacific.The combination of target motion analysis with the towed array system is intended to manage noise corruption and explore performance improvements. The project would see novel algorithms being put to test, using the strengths and shared knowledge of the two countries. “It will involve the sharing of ideas, investigation trials, algorithm demonstrations and performance analysis,” Arulampalam said.The Department of Defence announcement comes after external affairs minister S. Jaishankar met his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong, on the sidelines of the Quad foreign ministers' meeting in the US earlier this week.