Jindalee Operational Radar Network
Encyclopedia
The Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) is an over-the-horizon radar
network that can monitor air and sea movements across 37,000 km2. It has an official range of 3,000 km. It is used in the defence of Australia
and can also monitor maritime operations, wave heights and wind directions. Up to now, the network has cost approximately A$1.8 billion.
experiments in the United States
and a series of Australian experiments beginning in the early 1950s. From July 1970 a study was undertaken, resulting in a proposal for a program, to be carried out in three phases, to develop an over-the-horizon-radar system.
The first phase was designated project Geebung. Geebung aimed to define operational
requirements for an OTHR and study applicable technologies and techniques. The project carried out
a series of ionospheric soundings, evaluating the suitability of the ionosphere for the operation
of an OTHR radar.
Geebung was the foundation for Project Jindalee, the second phase, aimed at proving the
feasibility and costing of OTHR. This second phase was to be carried out by the Radar Division, which later became the High Frequency Radar Division, within the Defence Science and Technology Organisation
.
Project Jindalee came into being during the period 1972-1974 and was divided into three stages.
Stage 'A' commenced in April 1974. It involved the construction of a prototype radar
receiver at Mount Everard, near Alice Springs, a transmitter at Harts Range, 160 km away and a beacon in Derby
.
Once completed in October 1976 the Stage A radar ran for two years, closing in December 1978.
Stage A formally ended in February 1979 having achieved its mission of proving the feasibility of OTHR.
The success of stage A resulted in the construction of a larger stage 'B' radar, drawing
on the knowledge gained from stage A. Stage B commenced on 6 July 1978. The new radar
was constructed next to the stage A radar. Developments during stage B included
real time signal processing, using custom built processors, larger antenna arrays and higher
power transmitters, resulting in a more sensitive and capable radar. The first data was
received by stage B in the period April to May 1982. The first ship was detected in January 1983
and an aircraft automatically tracked in February 1984. Trials were carried out with the Royal Australian Air Force
during April 1984, substantially fulfilling the mission of stage B, to demonstrate an OTHR operating
in Australia. Another two years of trials were carried out before the Jindalee project officially
finished in December 1985.
Stage 'C' became the conversion of the stage B radar to an operational radar. This stage saw
substantial upgrades to the stage B equipment followed by the establishment of No. 1 Radar Surveillance Unit RAAF
(1RSU) and the handover of the radar to 1RSU. The aim was to provide Australia's defence forces with
operational experience of OTHR.
The third phase of the OTHR program was the design and construction of the JORN. The decision to build the JORN was announced in October 1986. Telstra
, in association with GEC-Marconi, became the prime contractor and a fixed price contract for the construction of the JORN was signed on 11 June 1991. The JORN was to be completed by 13 June 1997.
By 1996 the project was experiencing technical difficulties and cost overruns. Telstra reported an A$
609 million loss and announced that it could not guarantee a delivery date.
The failed Telstra contract prompted the project to enter a fourth phase: completion of the JORN and its subsequent maintenance using a new contractor. In February 1997 Lockheed Martin
and Tenix received a contract to deliver and manage the JORN. Subsequently during June 1997 Lockheed and Tenix formed the company RLM Group to handle the joint venture. An operational radar system was delivered in April 2003, with maintenance contracted to continue until February 2007.
As a consequence of the duration of its construction the JORN delivered in 2003 was designed to a specification developed in the early 1990s. During this period the Alice Springs radar had evolved significantly under the guidance of the DSTO. In February 2004 a fifth phase of the JORN project was approved. This current phase aims to upgrade the Laverton and Longreach Radars to reflect over a decade of OTHR research and development. Phase five is scheduled to run until approximately the year 2010.
(JCC), seven transponders and twelve vertical ionosonde
s distributed around Australia and its territories. DSTO uses a radar station near Alice Springs, Northern Territory
(JFAS) for research and development and also has its own network of vertical/oblique ionosondes for research purposes.
The Alice Springs radar can be patched into the JORN to provide a third active radar station.
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 research and development transmitter and receiver sites are:
The Alice Springs
radar was the original 'Jindalee Stage B' test bed on which the design of the other two stations was based. It continues to act as a research and development testbed in addition to its operational role.
The Mount Everard receiver site contains the remains of the first, smaller, 'Jindalee Stage A' receiver. It is visible in aerial photos, behind the stage B receiver (23.530074°S 133.68782°E). The stage A transmitter was rebuilt to become the stage B transmitter.
The high frequency
radio transmitter arrays at Longreach and Laverton have 28 elements, each driven by a 20 kilowatt power amplfier giving a total power of 560 kW. Stage B transmitted 20 kW per amplifier. The signal is bounced off the ionosphere
and is received at the Longreach and Laverton stations. The receiver stations use KEL Aerospace KFR35 series receivers. JORN uses radio frequencies between 5 and 30 MHz, which is far lower than most other civilian and military radars that operate in the microwave
frequency band.
The JORN ionosonde
network is made up of vertical ionosondes, providing a real time map of the ionosphere. Each vertical incidence sounder (VIS) is a standardized Single-Receiver "Digisonde" Portable Sounder built by Lowell
for the JORN. A new ionospheric map is generated every 225 seconds. In a clockwise direction around Australia
, the locations of the twelve (11 active and one test) JORN ionosondes are below.
The DSTO ionosonde network is not part of the JORN, but is used to further DSTO's research goals. DSTO uses Four-Receiver Digisonde Portable Sounders (DPS-4), also built by Lowell. During 2004 DSTO had ionosondes at the following locations.
From west to east, the seven JORN transponders are located at
Christmas Island
,
Broome
, WA
,
Kalumburu, WA
,
Darwin
, NT
,
Nhulunbuy
, NT
,
Normanton
, QLD
,
and Horn island, QLD
.
(1RSU). Data from the JORN sites is fed to the JORN Coordination Centre at RAAF Base Edinburgh
where it is passed on to other agencies and military units. Officially the system allows the Australian Defence Force
to observe all air and sea activity north of Australia to distances of 3000 km. This encompasses all of Java, Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and halfway across the Indian Ocean. Other sources put the range at 4000 km from the Australian coastline, as far away as Singapore
or possibly as far as Taiwan
, China
and North Korea
.
The JORN is so sensitive it is able to track planes taking off and landing in East Timor 2600 km away. It is able to detect a Cessna 172
aeroplane. Current research is anticipated to increase its sensitivity
by a factor of one hundred beyond this level. It is also reportedly able to detect stealth aircraft; 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. Project DUNDEE is a cooperative research project, with American missile defence research, into using JORN to detect missiles. The JORN is anticipated to play a role in the Strategic Defence Initiative, detecting and tracking missile launches in Asia.
A significant use of the JORN is the detection of boats landing on the northern shores of Australia.
Over-the-horizon radar
Over-the-horizon radar, or OTH , is a design concept for radar systems to allow them to detect targets at very long ranges, typically up to thousands of kilometers...
network that can monitor air and sea movements across 37,000 km2. It has an official range of 3,000 km. It is used in the defence of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and can also monitor maritime operations, wave heights and wind directions. Up to now, the network has cost approximately A$1.8 billion.
History
The roots of the JORN can be traced back to post World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
experiments in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and a series of Australian experiments beginning in the early 1950s. From July 1970 a study was undertaken, resulting in a proposal for a program, to be carried out in three phases, to develop an over-the-horizon-radar system.
The first phase was designated project Geebung. Geebung aimed to define operational
requirements for an OTHR and study applicable technologies and techniques. The project carried out
a series of ionospheric soundings, evaluating the suitability of the ionosphere for the operation
of an OTHR radar.
Geebung was the foundation for Project Jindalee, the second phase, aimed at proving the
feasibility and costing of OTHR. This second phase was to be carried out by the Radar Division, which later became the High Frequency Radar Division, within the Defence Science and Technology Organisation
Defence Science and Technology Organisation
The Defence Science and Technology Organisation is a branch of the Australian Department of Defence which researches and develops technologies for use in the Australian defence industry....
.
Project Jindalee came into being during the period 1972-1974 and was divided into three stages.
Stage 'A' commenced in April 1974. It involved the construction of a prototype radar
receiver at Mount Everard, near Alice Springs, a transmitter at Harts Range, 160 km away and a beacon in Derby
Derby, Western Australia
Derby is a town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Derby had a population of 3,093. Along with Broome and Kununurra, it is one of only three towns in the Kimberley to have a population over 2,000...
.
Once completed in October 1976 the Stage A radar ran for two years, closing in December 1978.
Stage A formally ended in February 1979 having achieved its mission of proving the feasibility of OTHR.
The success of stage A resulted in the construction of a larger stage 'B' radar, drawing
on the knowledge gained from stage A. Stage B commenced on 6 July 1978. The new radar
was constructed next to the stage A radar. Developments during stage B included
real time signal processing, using custom built processors, larger antenna arrays and higher
power transmitters, resulting in a more sensitive and capable radar. The first data was
received by stage B in the period April to May 1982. The first ship was detected in January 1983
and an aircraft automatically tracked in February 1984. Trials were carried out with the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
during April 1984, substantially fulfilling the mission of stage B, to demonstrate an OTHR operating
in Australia. Another two years of trials were carried out before the Jindalee project officially
finished in December 1985.
Stage 'C' became the conversion of the stage B radar to an operational radar. This stage saw
substantial upgrades to the stage B equipment followed by the establishment of No. 1 Radar Surveillance Unit RAAF
No. 1 Radar Surveillance Unit RAAF
No. 1 Radar Surveillance Unit is the Royal Australian Air Force unit responsible for operating the Jindalee Operational Radar Network...
(1RSU) and the handover of the radar to 1RSU. The aim was to provide Australia's defence forces with
operational experience of OTHR.
The third phase of the OTHR program was the design and construction of the JORN. The decision to build the JORN was announced in October 1986. Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
, in association with GEC-Marconi, became the prime contractor and a fixed price contract for the construction of the JORN was signed on 11 June 1991. The JORN was to be completed by 13 June 1997.
By 1996 the project was experiencing technical difficulties and cost overruns. Telstra reported an A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
609 million loss and announced that it could not guarantee a delivery date.
The failed Telstra contract prompted the project to enter a fourth phase: completion of the JORN and its subsequent maintenance using a new contractor. In February 1997 Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
and Tenix received a contract to deliver and manage the JORN. Subsequently during June 1997 Lockheed and Tenix formed the company RLM Group to handle the joint venture. An operational radar system was delivered in April 2003, with maintenance contracted to continue until February 2007.
As a consequence of the duration of its construction the JORN delivered in 2003 was designed to a specification developed in the early 1990s. During this period the Alice Springs radar had evolved significantly under the guidance of the DSTO. In February 2004 a fifth phase of the JORN project was approved. This current phase aims to upgrade the Laverton and Longreach Radars to reflect over a decade of OTHR research and development. Phase five is scheduled to run until approximately the year 2010.
Network
The JORN consists of two active radar stations; one near Longreach, Queensland (JOR1) and a second near Laverton, Western Australia (JOR2), a control centre in Edinburgh, South AustraliaRAAF Base Edinburgh
RAAF Base Edinburgh is located in Edinburgh, 25km north of the centre of Adelaide.It is primarily home to No 92 Wing's AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft that conduct surveillance operations throughout Australia's airspace....
(JCC), seven transponders and twelve vertical ionosonde
Ionosonde
An ionosonde, or chirpsounder, is a special radar for the examination of the ionosphere. An ionosonde consists of:* A high frequency transmitter, automatically tunable over a wide range...
s distributed around Australia and its territories. DSTO uses a radar station near Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Popularly known as "the Alice" or simply "Alice", Alice Springs is situated in the geographic centre of Australia near the southern border of the Northern Territory...
(JFAS) for research and development and also has its own network of vertical/oblique ionosondes for research purposes.
The Alice Springs radar can be patched into the JORN to provide a third active radar station.
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 Queensland transmitter at Longreach, with 90 degree coverage (23.658047°S 144.145432°E),
- the Queensland receiver at StonehengeStonehenge, QueenslandStonehenge is a small outback township in western Queensland, Australia. Its name originates from when the area was a stopping point for bullock teams...
, with 90 degree coverage (24.291095°S 143.195286°E), - the Western Australian transmitter at LeonoraLeonora, Western AustraliaLeonora is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located northeast of the state capital, Perth, and north of the city of Kalgoorlie. At the 2006 census, Leonora had a population of 401, about a third of whom are of Aboriginal descent. The area is extremely arid, with a...
, with 180 degree coverage (28.317378°S 122.843456°E), and - the Western Australian receiver at Laverton, with 180 degree coverage (28.326747°S 122.005234°E).
The research and development transmitter and receiver sites are:
- the Alice Springs transmitter at Harts RangeHarts Range, Northern TerritoryHarts Range is a location in the Northern Territory. Most of its population are of Aboriginal descent. A transmitter for the Jindalee Operational Radar Network is located near Harts Range....
, with 90 degree coverage (22.967561°S 134.447937°E), and - the Alice Springs receiver at Mount Everard, with 90 degree coverage (23.521497°S 133.677521°E).
The Alice Springs
Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Popularly known as "the Alice" or simply "Alice", Alice Springs is situated in the geographic centre of Australia near the southern border of the Northern Territory...
radar was the original 'Jindalee Stage B' test bed on which the design of the other two stations was based. It continues to act as a research and development testbed in addition to its operational role.
The Mount Everard receiver site contains the remains of the first, smaller, 'Jindalee Stage A' receiver. It is visible in aerial photos, behind the stage B receiver (23.530074°S 133.68782°E). The stage A transmitter was rebuilt to become the stage B transmitter.
The high frequency
High frequency
High frequency radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. Also known as the decameter band or decameter wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decameters . Frequencies immediately below HF are denoted Medium-frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Very high frequency...
radio transmitter arrays at Longreach and Laverton have 28 elements, each driven by a 20 kilowatt power amplfier giving a total power of 560 kW. Stage B transmitted 20 kW per amplifier. The signal is bounced off the ionosphere
Ionosphere
The ionosphere is a part of the upper atmosphere, comprising portions of the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere...
and is received at the Longreach and Laverton stations. The receiver stations use KEL Aerospace KFR35 series receivers. JORN uses radio frequencies between 5 and 30 MHz, which is far lower than most other civilian and military radars that operate in the microwave
Microwave
Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
frequency band.
The JORN ionosonde
Ionosonde
An ionosonde, or chirpsounder, is a special radar for the examination of the ionosphere. An ionosonde consists of:* A high frequency transmitter, automatically tunable over a wide range...
network is made up of vertical ionosondes, providing a real time map of the ionosphere. Each vertical incidence sounder (VIS) is a standardized Single-Receiver "Digisonde" Portable Sounder built by Lowell
University of Massachusetts Lowell
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...
for the JORN. A new ionospheric map is generated every 225 seconds. In a clockwise direction around Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the locations of the twelve (11 active and one test) JORN ionosondes are below.
| Location | Identifier | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|
| Laverton, WA Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east... |
LAV | 27.0°S 123.5°E |
| Ajana Ajana, Western Australia Ajana is a small town in Western Australia located on the Ajana Back Road north-west of Perth in the Mid West RegionThe name of the town is Aboriginal in origin and is thought either to be the local name for the area or to come from the Aboriginal word meaning "mine".The townsite was declared in... near Geraldton Geraldton, Western Australia Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958... , WA Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east... |
AJA | 27.9°S 114.7°E |
| Boolathana station near Carnarvon Carnarvon, Western Australia Carnarvon is a coastal town situated approximately 900 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Gascoyne River on the Indian Ocean. The popular Shark Bay world heritage area lies to the south of the town and the Ningaloo Reef lies to the north... , WA Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east... |
CAR | 24.6°S 113.6°E |
| Learmonth RAAF Base RAAF Learmonth RAAF Learmonth, also known as Learmonth Airport , is a joint use Royal Australian Air Force base and civil airport. It is located near the town of Exmouth on the north-west coast of Western Australia. As an RAAF base, Learmonth is one of the RAAF's three 'bare bases'... near Exmouth Exmouth, Western Australia -Further reading:* Western Australia. Ministry for Planning. Exmouth-Learmonth structure plan. Perth, W.A. : Western Australian Planning Commission... , WA Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east... |
LEA | 22.2°S 114.1°E |
| South Hedland, WA Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east... |
SHD | 20.4°S 118.6°E |
| Curtin RAAF Base RAAF Curtin RAAF Base Curtin is a Royal Australian Air Force base located near the town of Derby on the north coast of Western Australia. As it is one of the RAAF's three 'bare bases' no Air Force units are currently based at Curtin and it is maintained by a small caretaker staff during peacetime... , Derby Derby, Western Australia Derby is a town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Derby had a population of 3,093. Along with Broome and Kununurra, it is one of only three towns in the Kimberley to have a population over 2,000... , WA Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east... |
CUR | 17.6°S 123.8°E |
| Kalkaringi, NT Northern Territory The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions... |
KAL | 17.4°S 130.8°E |
| Groote Eylandt Groote Eylandt Groote Eylandt is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria in northeastern Australia. It is the homeland of, and is owned by, the Anindilyakwa people who speak the isolated Anindilyakwa language).... , Arnhem Land Arnhem Land The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National... , NT Northern Territory The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions... |
GRO | 13.9°S 136.4°E |
| Scherger RAAF Base, Weipa Weipa, Queensland Weipa is the largest town on the Gulf of Carpentaria coast of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Weipa had a population of 2,830; the largest community on Cape York Peninsula. It exists because of the enormous bauxite deposits along the coast... , QLD Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean... |
SCH | 12.7°S 142.1°E |
| Lynd River, QLD Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean... |
LYN | 18.0°S 144.9°E |
| Longreach, QLD Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean... |
LON | 23.4°S 143.8°E |
| JORN Coordination Centre, Edinburgh RAAF Base Edinburgh RAAF Base Edinburgh is located in Edinburgh, 25km north of the centre of Adelaide.It is primarily home to No 92 Wing's AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft that conduct surveillance operations throughout Australia's airspace.... , SA South Australia South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland... |
test unit | 34.7°S 138.6°E |
The DSTO ionosonde network is not part of the JORN, but is used to further DSTO's research goals. DSTO uses Four-Receiver Digisonde Portable Sounders (DPS-4), also built by Lowell. During 2004 DSTO had ionosondes at the following locations.
| Location | Coordinates |
|---|---|
| Wyndham Wyndham, Western Australia Wyndham is the oldest and northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, located on the Great Northern Highway, northeast of Perth. It was established in 1885 as a result of a gold rush at Halls Creek, and it is now a port and service centre for the east Kimberley with a... , WA Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east... |
15.4°S 128.1°E |
| Derby Derby, Western Australia Derby is a town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Derby had a population of 3,093. Along with Broome and Kununurra, it is one of only three towns in the Kimberley to have a population over 2,000... , WA Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east... |
17.3°S 123.6°E |
| Darwin Darwin, Northern Territory Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities... , NT Northern Territory The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions... |
12.5°S 130.9°E |
| Elliott Elliott, Northern Territory Elliott is a town in Northern Territory, Australia. It is located almost halfway between Darwin and Alice Springs on the Stuart Highway. The town is in the Yapurkulangu ward of the Barkly Shire. The area is the home of the Jingili people and the traditional name of the town is Kulumindini... near Newcastle Waters Newcastle Waters, Northern Territory Newcastle Waters is a small settlement off the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory. Newcastle is virtually uninhabited. The nearest petrol station and accommodation is found south at Elliott. It is inside Newcastle Waters station, a large cattle station with over 40,000 head of... , NT Northern Territory The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions... |
17.6°S 133.5°E |
| Alice Springs Alice Springs, Northern Territory Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Popularly known as "the Alice" or simply "Alice", Alice Springs is situated in the geographic centre of Australia near the southern border of the Northern Territory... , NT Northern Territory The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions... |
24.0°S 133.8°E |
From west to east, the seven JORN transponders are located at
Christmas Island
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
,
Broome
Broome, Western Australia
Broome is a pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The year round population is approximately 14,436, growing to more than 45,000 per month during the tourist season...
, WA
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
,
Kalumburu, WA
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
,
Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, NT
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
,
Nhulunbuy
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory
Nhulunbuy is the name of the township created on the Gove Peninsula in the Northern Territory of Australia when a bauxite mine and deep water port were established nearby in the late 1960s...
, NT
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
,
Normanton
Normanton, Queensland
-External links:****...
, QLD
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
,
and Horn island, QLD
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
Operation and uses
The JORN network is operated by No. 1 Radar Surveillance Unit RAAFNo. 1 Radar Surveillance Unit RAAF
No. 1 Radar Surveillance Unit is the Royal Australian Air Force unit responsible for operating the Jindalee Operational Radar Network...
(1RSU). Data from the JORN sites is fed to the JORN Coordination Centre at RAAF Base Edinburgh
RAAF Base Edinburgh
RAAF Base Edinburgh is located in Edinburgh, 25km north of the centre of Adelaide.It is primarily home to No 92 Wing's AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft that conduct surveillance operations throughout Australia's airspace....
where it is passed on to other agencies and military units. Officially the system allows the Australian Defence Force
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...
to observe all air and sea activity north of Australia to distances of 3000 km. This encompasses all of Java, Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and halfway across the Indian Ocean. Other sources put the range at 4000 km from the Australian coastline, as far away as Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
or possibly as far as Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
.
The JORN is so sensitive it is able to track planes taking off and landing in East Timor 2600 km away. It is able to detect a Cessna 172
Cessna 172
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing fixed-wing aircraft. First flown in 1955 and still in production, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.-Design and development:...
aeroplane. Current research is anticipated to increase its sensitivity
Sensitivity (electronics)
The sensitivity of an electronic device, such as a communications system receiver, or detection device, such as a PIN diode, is the minimum magnitude of input signal required to produce a specified output signal having a specified signal-to-noise ratio, or other specified criteria.Sensitivity is...
by a factor of one hundred beyond this level. It is also reportedly able to detect stealth aircraft; 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. Project DUNDEE is a cooperative research project, with American missile defence research, into using JORN to detect missiles. The JORN is anticipated to play a role in the Strategic Defence Initiative, detecting and tracking missile launches in Asia.
A significant use of the JORN is the detection of boats landing on the northern shores of Australia.