Best of the week — the five most popular stories among @AuManufacturing’s readers

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading.

5) CELEBRATING AUSTRALIAN SOVEREIGN CAPABILITY – INTRODUCTION TO OUR NEW EDITORIAL SERIES

We have all heard the phrase – sovereign manufacturing capabilities. But what does it mean for Australia in the 21st century, what are they and how do we develop them? 

Here Peter Roberts sets the scene for our latest editorial series – Celebrating Australian sovereign capability.

4) HYPERSONIX AWARDED FIRST MAJOR CONTRACT

Hypersonix Launch Systems has been selected from a field of 63 respondents by the United States’ Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to provide aircraft for hypersonic tests, the company’s first major contract.

The DIU selected Hypersonix for the “Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities” (HyCAT1) program, which seeks to test in a “representative environment”, maintaining speeds greater than Mach 5 with a manoeuvrable/non-ballistic flight profile and a minimum three-minute flight duration with near-constant flight conditions. 

“Our vehicles are capable of non-ballistic flight patterns to at least Mach 7, which exceeds  the HyCAT1 specification,” said David Waterhouse, Managing Director, Hypersonix Launch Systems, in a statement on Friday morning. 

3) WHAT THE AUKUS SUBMARINE DEAL MEANS FOR AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY

The three AUKUS leaders, US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have emphasised the industry building aspects of the tri-lateral plan to jointly develop and build nuclear powered submarines.

The three leaders said in a joint statement: “Together we will deliver SSN-AUKUS – a trilaterally-developed submarine based on the United Kingdom’s next-generation design that incorporates technology from all three nations, including cutting edge U.S. submarine technologies.

“Australia and the United Kingdom will begin work to build SSN-AUKUS in their domestic shipyards within this decade.”

2) AUSTRALIA TO BUY THREE VIRGINIA CLASS N-SUBMARINES, THEN BUILD 8 IN ADELAIDE

Australia is to purchase three US-made Virginia class nuclear powered submarines and follow on by building eight nuclear powered submarines to a new design designated SSN-AUKUS in Adelaide.

To fill a capability gap with the retirement of the Collins class submarines Australia will host American nuclear-powered submarines on a regular basis as early as 2027.

This will accelerate “the development of the Australian naval personnel, workforce, infrastructure and regulatory system necessary to establish a sovereign SSN capability”, according to a joint statement.

1) BAE SYSTEMS AUSTRALIA – THE COMPANY THAT COULD BUILD OUR AUKUS SUBMARINES

BAE Systems Australia has batted off suggestions it will bid to construct nuclear powered submarines in Adelaide under the AUKUS deal, writes Peter Roberts.

The company already operates a new shipyard built by the federal government at Osborne in Adelaide where it is constructing Hunter class frigates for the RAN, as well as a capable yard at Henderson in Western Australia.

And crucially it is the constructor building UK’s nuclear powered fleet Barrow-in-Furness, a port town in Cumbria, England.

And in case you missed our podcast…

In episode 50 we heard from Ross and Lyn George of Austeng about their place in the region’s reinvention, their shift to startups and clean technologies in the last decade, the responsibility manufacturers have to inspire the next generation.

Andrew Moore from passenger eVTOL business AMSL Aero tells us about their progress so far, the potential of electric aviation, and the importance of companies making final products in Australia in episode 51.

And we spoke to The Hygiene Co.’s co-founders Phil Scardigno and Corey White — the first nominees for our Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers campaign — in episode 52.

Picture: Osborne Naval Dockyard, Adelaide