The federal government has announced an investment of up to $1.3 billion to develop a sovereign capability in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to enhance maritime surveillance capabilities. Defence will soon call for industry to register to investigate the capability and capacity of Australian industry to deliver air vehicles, sensor payloads, integration, training and sustainment. This…
The board of Perth’s Hazer Group has given the go ahead for the construction of a full scale commercial demonstration plant to produce hydrogen from biogas. The $16.7 million investment will result in a 100 ton per year plant utilising Hazer’s patented technology to produce fuel cell grade hydrogen at the Western Australian Water Board’s…
Ridley Corporation has completed its rationalisation and modernisation programme, opening its new $47 million feedmill at Wellsford, East Bendigo. The mill, capable of producing 350,000 tonnes of feeds annually, will supply poultry and pig farms in Central and Northern Victoria. In keeping with Covid-19 restrictions the opening was a virtual affair, with only the Mayor…
Lithium materials company Lithium Australia has demonstrated cost savings of between 20 and 30 per cent in chemical and reagent costs used to produce lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO) battery cathodes. The company, which is developing lithium mines, processing technologies, component manufacturing and battery recycling, demonstrated the savings at its subsidiary, VSPC Ltd’s Brisbane pilot plant.…
An open letter to Professor Alex Zelinsky, the Vice Chancellor, University of Newcastle by Dr John Blakemore. We need an institution that offers a degree in manufacturing and practical skills. The ideal place to revive Australia’s manufacturing capability is Newcastle. Over the last 75 years there has been a continuous decline in Australia’s manufacturing capability…
Gilmour Space positive about Abbot Point space launch site Rocket developer Gilmour Space Technologies has responded positively to Queenaland government investigations of a new space launch site at Abbot Point in north Queensland. The company said such a site would give Gilmour access to ‘a very wide range of orbits and inclinations for our customers’.…
Ten prototypes of the locally developed Bortana electric vehicle are making their way to minesites across Australia for testing underground and general mining. The Bortana, a battery powered vehicle fitted into a rugged utility vehicle by Victorian e-mobility group Safescape, has been in use on three sites for the past year. In total up to…
Space, communications and defence manufacturer Electro Optic Systems is preparing to launch several new products including a new directed energy weapon. In an activities update, the Canberra company revealed it was preparing to make space communications terminals at its defence systems factory in Huntsville Alabama. The terminals are based on technology acquired by EOS when…
Thirty companies led by Victoria’s Grey Innovation have passed a new milestone delivering its first Notus invasive ventilators (pictured) used to treat Covid-19 to the National Medical Stockpile. This shipment, and the rest to follow over coming weeks, comes only three months after the federal government inked a $31.3 million contract to produce 2,000 invasive…
Drone detection and countermeasure manufacturer DroneShield has released an updated version of its far-reaching detection system christened the RfOne MKII sensor (picture). Used for drone detection, identification and tracking at distances of up to eight kilometres, the installation of a number of devices allows accurate triangulation of drones intruding into controlled airspace. RfOne MKII incorporates…
