Weapons Systems Defence Research Summer Vacation Scholarships

Here are the Weapons Systems projects for Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) Scholarships. DSTO is offering 68 university students $4,050 tax-free each for a 12-week research project in the Summer Vacation Scholarship Program. Applications can be made online and close 19 July 2009, with the projects running from late November 2009 to mid February 2010 accross Australia.

The Projects

WSD 01 Enhancement of Ground Based Air Defence Planning Tools

Weapons Systems Division has developed a ground based air defence planning tool that is used by the 16th Air Defence Regiment for optimizing air defence layouts. The Air Defence Command Post Automation (ADCPA) tool is a Microsoft Windows based tool that is currently being upgraded based on user requirements. Developments will consider GUI, functionality and potential integration of Geospatial products.

This project involves: a) continued updating the existing ADCPA tool; b) design and development work for migration of the tool to a new simulation architecture; and c) general support to the development of simulation architectures. The student will gain experience in software engineering in a research environment, state of the art simulation architectures and an understanding of weapon systems.

Update the existing ADCPA software application with user defined modifications. Assist with the re-design of ADCPA to be compatible with the new simulation architecture developed by Weapon Systems Division. Assist with general simulation application architecture development as directed by MSTARS team leader.

Engineering (Aerospace, Information Technology, Software), Applied Physics, Computer Science. C++ programming, Visual C++ MFC, wxWidgets, knowledge of GIS products.

Weapons Systems Division DSTO Edinburgh SA

WSD 02 Enhancement of Simulink Missile Models using MSTARS

Weapons Systems Division has developed an environment to aid the development of physics-based models of missiles called MSTARS. MSTARS is a Model Architecture developed under Matlab Simulink that provides templates, GUI’s and utility blocks to aid the construction of missile models and the export of these models to C++ simulations. Sample missile components and models are included to serve as a worked example to users. This project involves updating some of the sample MSTARS models to enhance their functionality and better represent the capabilities of modern missiles. The student will gain experience in modelling complex systems in Simulink, software engineering in a research environment and an understanding of modern missile technology.

Update example MSTARS model components to represent more advanced missile capabilities, such as launch aircraft to missile datalink and lock-after-launch infra-red seekers. Integrate Simulink models from other missile modeling environments into MSTARS. Assist with general MSTARS architecture development as directed by MSTARS team leader

Engineering (Aerospace, Information Technology, Software), Applied Physics, Computer Science.

Matlab and Simulink, C++ programming.

Weapons Systems Division DSTO Edinburgh SA

WSD 03 Replacement of Safety Status Monitor and Display

The Safety Status Monitor and Display (SSMD) is a critical safety component of the Primary Infrared Scene Projector. Its role is to monitor analog safety sensors and communicate this data to a host PC over an RS232 serial interface. The SSMD must be replaced and this project requires a requirements analysis and specification of new hardware including ADC and communications hardware. This project may be extended to include the development of a TCP/IP interface in FPGA hardware if time is available.

For SSMD replacement Identification of requirements for replacement hardware Specification of replacement system Selection of COTS hardware

For TCP/IP project extension Implement a TCP/IP interface on Xilinx FPGA Develop a GUI and communications protocol for communication between FPGA development board and host PC

Electronic Engineering or Mechatronic Engineering

Knowledge of ADCs and how to select appropriate ADC for a given task Good report writing and communication skills Some programming skills (C++ or Java) VHDL design experience FPGA design experience MATLAB experience Simulink experience

Must have good knowledge of Analog to Digital conversion theory and hardware and must possess good communication skills.

Weapons Systems Division DSTO Edinburgh SA

WSD 04 Characterisation of fuel vaporisation

Experiments and trials that are done to study the interaction of projectiles in a jet fuel-air mixture require knowledge of the concentration and fractional composition of the fuel as it is introduced to the apparatus and vaporises. Following a short review of relevant literature, this project will firstly study in a laboratory apparatus the vaporisation process from initiation to saturated equilibrium, or to a steady non-equilibrium state using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry or other methods. It will then assess options for rugged sensors that could be used in a larger projectile interaction chamber. The ability of simple gauges to identify conditions in the vapour mixture and methods of calibration will be addressed

Review of available literature; refinement of experimental methodology; design and construction of laboratory apparatus; supervised operation of gas chromatography/mass spectrometer instruments; analysis of results; search and assessment of measurement product options; reporting of conduct and results of the project

Organic Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Petrochemical engineering, Physical Chemistry

Laboratory skills, desktop analysis and reporting

Weapons Systems Division DSTO Edinburgh SA

WSD 05 Design, construction, and evaluation of high current Helmholtz coils

Using computer simulation and analytical tools design Helmholtz coils for high current applications. Suitable designs will be constructed and then evaluated. Magnetic fields will be measured and mapped for a variety of current inputs. A final report detailing results will be provided.

Simulation, construction, experiment, report writing Physics, mechanical, electrical, electronic engineering

Mechanical design This is not a desk job Weapons Systems Division DSTO Edinburgh SA

WSD 06 Target Detection Algorithm Development for Ground Penetrating Radar Data Algorithms

Real-time detection and discrimination of targets of interest at a standoff distance is a major issue in efforts to develop defence against improvised explosive devices (IED). Threat Mitigation (TM) group, Defence Science Technology Organization (DSTO) in collaboration with universities has developed a number of target detection algorithms applicable to Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), metal detector array data, and Visual & Infrared (IR) images. This project focuses on development and testing of enhanced target detection algorithms to reduce clutter signal due to the reflection from the ground surface in ground penetrating radar (GPR) measurements. The proposed technique will be applied to a GPR, which has been used to detect subsurface anti-personnel (AP) landmines. A very simple model will be is used to model the GPR clutter and the target signal

Data analysis, report writing Electronic and electrical engineering Matlab competency

Weapons Systems Division DSTO Edinburgh SA