South Australian defence technology firm QuantX Labs, has reached a major milestone in the development of its flagship technology, the Sapphire Cryogenic Clock.

Following nearly two years of work upgrades and improvements, the technology – known as Cryoclock for short – has recently passed through a full acceptance testing and is ready for inclusion into the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN).

The Sapphire Cryogenic Clock has been developed over more than 30 years and shows a frequency instability that is equivalent to losing or gaining only one second every 40 million years. This is 100 times better than commercial atomic clocks over the relevant timescales.

From its facility at the Lot Fourteen innovation precinct in the heart of Adelaide’s CBD, QuantX Labs will now work with BAE Systems Australia on an approach that will see the Cryoclock deployed into the JORN system supporting significantly improved detection with greatly increased sensitivity.

QuantX Labs Managing Director Professor Andre Luiten said the technology would support a program that is critical to Australia’s defence posture.

“It makes me incredibly proud to see leading-edge Australian research translated into technology that will make all Australians that little bit safer,” Professor Luiten said.

QuantX Labs General Manager Dr Martin O’Connor added that strong collaboration had been a driver of the technology’s latest success.

“Every day I see our company work closely with university personnel, with other small defence companies, and with BAE Systems,” he said. “It is this strong collaboration across the innovation pipeline that allows us to offer this breakthrough technology to the market.”

JORN is a multi-billion dollar investment supporting three over-the-horizon radar systems that use the ionosphere to monitor air and sea movements across 37,000 square kilometres. BAE Systems Australia is leading the Phase 6 upgrade of JORN.

Learn more about Cryoclock technology.

Feature image: Cyroclock’s precise time keeping will enhance JORN’s capability.