Aurora Labs wins $544,000 defence grant for production scale-up

Aurora Labs announced on Wednesday it had been awarded a Defence Industry Development Grant of $544,333 on a 50/50 co-investment basis to support the acquisition of advanced manufacturing equipment.

The 3D metal printing company said it had been selected as a priority sovereign industrial manufacturer for defence applications under the Sovereign Industrial Priorities Stream.

The funding will be applied towards critical production equipment to scale Aurora’s production capacity for gas turbine propulsion systems, alongside supporting maintenance and production of parts for the defence industry aerospace or maritime applications at its Canning Vale facility in Western Australia.

Aurora’s grant will be used to procure multi-axis CNC machining centres and HVAC temperature control systems, enabling high-precision manufacturing essential for the performance and reliability of Aurora’s micro gas turbine propulsion systems. These systems are specifically developed for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and other autonomous platforms.

The investment will allow Aurora to vertically integrate core production stages of its propulsion systems onshore, from additive manufacturing of complex geometries to post-processing machining and final assembly.

Chief Executive Rebekah Letheby said the grant was an investment in sovereign capability.

“By building end-to-end manufacturing capability onshore, we’re positioning Australia to independently develop and supply propulsion technology that is critical to the future of our countries defence autonomy,” Letheby said.

“This program accelerates Aurora’s ability to deliver on our vision of a sovereign, vertically integrated propulsion supply chain.”

The Defence Industry Development Grants Program is an initiative by the Australian Government aimed at strengthening the nation’s defence industry capabilities. The program provides funding to small and medium-sized enterprises to enhance their capacity to deliver critical defence capabilities.

Aurora is in discussions with third-party lenders to provide the matching funds on commercial terms to ensure timely delivery of the equipment. All grant-supported activities are required to be completed by 28 March 2026.

The development comes as the company prepares for incoming orders of its proprietary propulsion systems for UAV applications, which represent a key area of innovation and market demand within the defence sector.

Picture: credit Aurora Labs