Boeing Defence Australia is in the process of installing elements of the Project Vigilare network-centric command and control system (N3CS) at the Royal Australian Air Force base at Williamtown, and has begun to demonstrate the system’s connectivity. The installation program continues throughout this and next year.

Vigilare was developed to meet the Australian Department of Defence’s Project AIR 5333 and is a smart battle management system-of-systems that merges data from numerous sensor platforms and agencies into a single cohesive picture. The fused data can be provided in optimized forms to various end-users. Boeing has also designed in the ability to link between the national systems of allied nations. The system builds on experience gained from installing a partial system for Malaysia at the Butterworth airbase.

Two key players in the Australian environment are the F/A-18 Hornet fighter force and the Boeing 737 AEW&C Project Wedgetail aircraft. In October last year the transfer of data between Vigilare and an F/A-18 via Link 16 data link was demonstrated, while in December, Link 16 sent information from the Vigilare facility to a Wedgetail flying 1,000 miles away.