Quasar launches digital multibeam satellite ground station

CSIRO related start-up company Quasar Satellite Technologies has launched its world first fully digital multibeam satellite ground stations. The stations will revolutionise the space industry, enabling government, defence and intelligence agencies, as well as private organisations, to establish a view of every satellite in orbit, according to a statement. To be unveiled at the Space…

Advanced Navigation to manufacture photonic chip

AI robotics and navigation technology manufacturer Advanced Navigation has been awarded a grant by the Australian Department of Defence to develop manufacturing capability for photonic chips. Australia does not have commercial manufacturing capability for photonic chips which contain circuits using light transmission and receival – a laser is a photonics device. Advanced Navigation is the…

Arkeus secures seed funding to scale optical radar manufacture

Defence manufacturer Arkeus will scale manufacturing of its hardware-enabled software platform for search, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The optical autonomy company raised $4.45 million in seed funding from technology investors Main Sequence, Beaten Zone Venture Partners and Salus Ventures. The funding will help Arkeus scale manufacturing and enhance the capabilities of its core product…

Ocius Technology’s Bluebottle headed for NZ

Ocius Technology‘s Bluebottle uncrewed surface vessel is to be trialed by the Royal New Zealand Navy. The company took to social media to confirm reports that the 6.8-metre, renewably-powered surveillance vessel was enroute to NZ where it will undergo trials. Last year the Royal Australian Navy contracted to acquire five Bluebottle USVs from Ocius, following…

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

AMSL appoints new CEO Passenger EVTOL maker AMSL Aero has announced that Max York is the company’s new Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. York was described in a statement on Monday as an experienced commercial executive, military veteran and board director who will lead the company in partnership with co-founders Andrew Moore and Siobhan Lyndon as…

NORSTA awarded five year, $150 million Darwin maritime sustainment contract

NORSTA North has been awarded a five-year, $150 million contract for the Regional Maintenance Centre at Darwin, known as RMC North, the fourth and final addition to a network of maritime sustainment centres around Australia. According to a statement on Monday from defence industry minister Pat Conroy, the contract is expected to create up to…

AUKUS countries focus on space capabilities

The AUKUS partners Australia the United States and the United Kingdom have entered into an agreement to advance Australia’s defence space capabilities – but there is no immediate role for local industry in the project. At the second AUKUS Defence Ministers’ Meeting in California, ministers discussed accelerating capabilities that provide all three partners with timely…

NIOA calls for defence industry action plan

The Group CEO of the biggest Australian-owned supplier of military munitions has laid out a detailed plan to mobilise the nation’s defence industrial base, emphasising “it’s time for urgency, optimism and action”. Speaking to the National Press Club in Canberra, NIOA Group CEO Robert Nioa released a report which calls on the Australian Government to…

AML3D to make test Hunter class frigate parts

Metal 3D printer manufacturer AML3D has received a contract for the manufacture of a test part to be used in preparation of the Hunter class frigates being constructed at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide. The company did not detail the part but said it ‘may have application within BAE Systems Maritime Australia’s (BAESMA’s) contract…

Global Defence Solutions to open new SE Queensland factory next year

Defence business Global Defence Solutions (GDS) has announced the signing of an agreement for a new 2,225 square metre facility in Bundamba, southwest of Brisbane, which its expects to be operational by July 1 next year, GDS General Manager Jeremy Bendall said the new site was a response to the needs of partners in the…

More precise positioning with first new satellite dish completed

Consumers and business will be able to more precisely position their activities with the installation of the Southern Positioning Augmentation Network’s (SouthPAN’s) first satellite dish by Lockheed Martin Australia (LMA) and ground station terminal manufacturer Av-Comm. The dish in Uralla, regional New South Wales, marks a milestone for the collaborative SouthPAN initiative between Geoscience Australia…

Hunter class frigate passes Preliminary Design Review milestone

BAE Systems’ Hunter Class Frigate Program has successfully completed its Preliminary Design Review (PDR), with a celebratory event to mark the completion held at the Company’s Osborne shipyard to mark the milestone. The review, which has been running since July, is a technical assessment that ensures the design is operationally effective and underpins the more…