Assistant Minister for Defence and Space Industries Michael Brown MP has officially opened the production line for Codan’s new MDS-20 Dual-Sensor Countermine Detector at the company’s Mawson Lakes headquarters in South Australia.
Designed and developed in South Australia by Minelab, a Codan company, the MDS-20 combines advanced metal detection and ground-penetrating radar technologies to detect low-metal landmines and improvised explosive device components.
The MDS-20 is designed for military and humanitarian operations and builds on Minelab’s established portfolio of detection technologies, including the F3 humanitarian demining detector.
Assistant Minister Brown said the production line demonstrated South Australia’s capability in defence manufacturing and advanced technology.
“Codan is a great example of South Australian innovation and its global impact, all made possible through local engineering, local high-tech experts, right here in Mawson Lakes,” said Assistant Minister Brown.
“This production line will save lives, not only those of the Defence personnel using the MDS-20 detector, but also of Minelab’s international defence and humanitarian customers using this homegrown capability to protect their own communities.”
Codan has expanded significantly in recent years and now employs around 1,000 people globally, exporting communications and detection technologies to more than 150 countries.
Codan Managing Director and CEO Alf Ianniello said the MDS-20 represented the company’s continued investment in Australian-designed and manufactured technology.
“Our technologies perform in the world’s harshest environments from defence and peacekeeping missions to humanitarian demining. The MDS-20 represents the next evolution of Australian innovation, designed, engineered and manufactured by our team in Mawson Lakes for customers around the world.”