“Lencom is responsible for all antenna maintenance and support across JORN’s three remote radar sites, which are in Longreach in Queensland, Laverton in Western Australia and Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Our two companies share a great working relationship,” said Nathan Herrmann, BAE System Australia’s Strategic Surveillance Program Manager.
“JORN is a crucial Defence asset, and we pride ourselves on being multiple steps ahead of the game. But it takes hard work and dedication to maintain such a complex asset through its life. On the rare occasion that components fail and there is not a ready replacement, Lencom has been invaluable sourcing, installing and commissioning like-for-like parts on short notice. They’ve also provided alternative solutions if no other options are available.”
The two companies began collaborating on JORN prior to the Phase 6 upgrade – a program that’s been enhancing, modernising and future proofing capability for the radar network since 2018 – and it continues to break new ground.
“Our working relationship with Lencom has solidified over time and it’s been very productive. We regularly rely on their technical knowhow and they’ve provided antenna solutions for us on a number of Over-The-Horizon Radar (OTHR) export opportunities. This has been advantageous for BAE Systems Australia’s in-house built HF technology business that services the US market, which is separate from our work on JORN,” said Mr Herrmann.
Lencom’s General Manager Brad Cowain said the SME comes from humble beginnings.
“Our founders, Peter and Leonie Leonard, are passionate offroad driving enthusiasts. In the early days, they could never find an effective tuning system for HF vehicle radios. In 1984, they decided to make their own and formed Lencom. This led to the creation of one of the world’s first Automatic Antenna Tuning Units (ATUs). Before it, drivers had to pull up and physically change station each time they wanted a new frequency. Our ATU was rugged, reliable and was quickly adapted for other commercial uses,” said Mr Cowain.
“Working on different projects with BAE Systems Australia opened new doors and has helped us to establish our business globally. Our products are now sold in over 150 countries, to a versatile group of customers, and we’re immensely proud. The culture and personalities between Lencom and BAE Systems is similar and I believe this is what has made the collaboration so successful.”
JORN is an OTHR network that monitors the top of Australia for unidentified sea and air threats. It has a surveillance range between 1,000 to 3,000 kilometres.