Defence preps submarine digital twin under AUKUS

The Department of Defence will be using a digital twin as part of its plan to acquire nuclear submarines under AUKUS.

The department revealed the plan in a recruitment advertisement seeking a digital strategy chief whose responsibilities would include the digital twin.

The advertisement explains that the nuclear powered submarines will need a “model-based systems engineering strategy” to help “deliver and sustain” the submarine capability.

Digital twins are a virtual representation of intended or actual real-world physical items, systems or processes that can be used to plan scenarios and simulate changes.

A Defence spokesperson told iTnews that the department "routinely uses digital twins to support decision-making and provide insights in a virtual environment."

"These lessons and opportunities can be identified and then applied to the physical world," the spokesperson said.

“Reporting to the director-general of the Australian Submarine Agency, the digital strategy chief will engage with a range of senior stakeholders across the agency, Defence, other government agencies, industry and academia on the use of digital technologies in submarine scientific research and the generation of engineering advice.”

Defence has shown interest in digital twins since at least 2020, when it designated the technology as an important part of what it calls STAR (science, technology and research) Shots, as part of the Battle Ready Platforms streams.

In 2021, Defence Science and Technology Group joined forces with auto suspension company Supashock to explore digital twins “in the preventative maintenance and condition monitoring of military land vehicles”.