The Jindalee Operational Radar Network – or JORN – is considered one of Australia’s greatest defence innovations.

Located in the heart of the outback, JORN is a network of three over-the-horizon radars with long-range threat detection capability. It plays a vital role in surveillance by helping our defence force see 1,000s of kilometres past the horizon, enabling them to protect our expansive coastline beyond line-of-sight.

One of our greatest defence triumphs didn’t happen overnight. The JORN story began in World War II as Australia faced one of its biggest military threats.

Join host Lily Serna as she travels to remote Australia to meet the people behind this home-grown technology and discover why JORN is the jewel in Australia’s defence crown.

Guests:

It took Ross and Keith Smith 28 days to complete their historic UK-Australia flight in 1919.

From then, Australian aviation has come a long away – we now see unmanned aircraft in the sky and some of the most advanced jets in the world flying at speeds of almost 2,000 km per hour. Today, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is world class Air Force with a proud 100 year history and a very inspiring future that will see a growing fleet of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter - one of the most advanced aircraft in the world.

Join Lily Serna as she takes a look at the evolution of Australian military aviation and meets the people and technologies driving this vibrant industry. Technically Possible travels back in time to that historic Smith Brothers flight and looks at the future technologies taking our next-generation sky high.

Currently in Australia, less than 20% of Engineering students are female. And in the defence industry, female engineers make up less than 15% of the workforce.

Despite campaigns by governments and industry, women remain underrepresented in Science, Technology and Maths (STEM) careers and while progress has been made, there is much more work to do.

So how do we encourage more women into STEM?

Join Lily Serna as she meets some of the inspirational females making their mark in the defence industry, paving the way for future generations.

Who are these trailblazers and STEM advocates?

Professor Tanya Monro - Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist, first female Chief Defence Scientist

Gabby Costigan - CEO BAE Systems Australia, first female CEO of an Australian Defence Prime

Deborah Jeppesen - Manager of Intelligence at Thales Australia, first female RAAF pilot

Jackie - young aspiring female engineer, BAE Systems Australia