Submarine detection

Australian scientists have developed a new way to locate and identify even the ’quietest’ of today’s submarines.

The Australian development, called MAGSAFE, uses the detection of changing magnetic fields to identify and monitor a moving submarine. The method, which is unique in that it captures 12 magnetic field-related data values per reading as opposed to the single number measured by a conventional magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) magnetometer, arises from research into new minerals exploration technologies that detect magnetic fields.

A major project at CSIROIndustrial Physics, which includes a contract with the Defence Science and Technology Organisation’s (DSTO) Capability Technology Demonstrator program, is now applying this development to naval defence.

“It is technology that has the potential to assist with improved security for Australia,” says CSIRO researcher Dr Cathy Foley, who heads up the CSIRO team behind the project. “It will enable a submarine’s depth, bearing and orientation to be tracked.”

The technology is basically a ’tensor gradiometer’, which is a device that can measure minute changes in magnetic field gradients. It uses three independent rotating sensors, which use high-temperature superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) to monitor the magnetic field gradient.