Special Report: Australia expands undersea surveillance with AI and autonomy

An Acacia Systems official inspects data processed by the company's Onyx software. (Acacia Systems )

South Australia-based Acacia Systems has completed a government-funded project to enhance the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) undersea surveillance capabilities, while launching a separate collaboration with domestic academia to advance its surveillance software.

Speaking to Janes in May, Acacia Systems CEO Bob Humphreys discussed the outcomes of the completed project and how it can support the RAN, as well as future research and development (R&D) objectives for the company's Onyx surveillance software.

Acacia announced in May that it had completed an AUD1.6 million (USD1 million) research project funded by the Defence Innovation Partnership (DIP) – a collaborative venture between the South Australian government, the Department of Defence's (DoD's) Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), and three South Australian universities – to advance Onyx for enhanced underwater surveillance.

Following the completion of this project, Defence Trailblazer – established in 2022 under an Australian government programme to promote research collaboration between Australian universities and industry – announced a new project to advance Onyx. This project will be implemented by Acacia in partnership with the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

According to Acacia, Onyx is deployed in the RAN's Hobart-class destroyers and has been licensed for export to allied navies' surface and submarine fleets.

Underwater surveillance

Acacia announced the DIP-funded underwater surveillance research project in early 2024. According to DIP, it aimed to improve the accuracy and range of automatic detection, tracking, and localisation of undersea threats.