Sydney morning Herald...

Sydney morning Herald


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Quantum sensors, sea drones and hypersonic missiles: what are the new frontiers of war?

While the US brings much of the technological heft to this enhanced defence partnership (such as designs for nuclear subs and long-range missiles), Webb says that in AI and quantum technology Australia is already a research leader in its own right. “We’re not coming with our hands empty; we’re coming with something to put on the table.”


Meanwhile, work is under way to stop them coming, says Webb, including harnessing AI to spot hypersonics faster on radars, targeting launch sites before the missile hits the air and even pulling out direct-energy weapons (from lasers to microwave beams) to shoot them downor blind them before they reach their target.