Brigadier Hugh Meggitt has been appointed as the new head of the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) for the Australian Defence Force, a move announced by the federal government on Tuesday. Brigadier Meggitt (pictured), previously the Director General Special Operations Modernisation at the ADF’s Headquarters Joint Operations Command, is recognised for his extensive experience in…
What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to @AuManufacturing were reading. 5) New drone radio production line boosts defence capabilities in South Australia South Australia is set to enhance its role in national defence with a new drone radio communications production line, part of the DEF129 Uncrewed Aerial Systems project. This development…
Two unnamed companies, one based in Adelaide and the other in Brisbane, have been awarded a combined $61.5 million in funding under the federal government’s Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator’s (ASCA) Mission 1. According to a statement from defence industry minister Pat Conroy on Wednesday, the move to the delivery phase of Mission 1 (named Black…
What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to @AuManufacturing were reading. 5) $60m in defence quantum technology grants announced The federal government has invested $60 million in quantum and counter disinformation technologies critical to defence and to a future made in Australia. The Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator’s (ASCA) Emerging and Disruptive Technologies…
The federal government has invested $60 million in quantum and counter disinformation technologies critical to defence and to a future made in Australia. The Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator’s (ASCA) Emerging and Disruptive Technologies (EDT) programme has signed 21 contracts with Australian universities and industry partners. The investment was made under the National Defence Strategy and…
Three Australian companies have signed contracts worth a total of $6.6 million to develop and produce 100 drones for Defence as part of an innovation challenge. The contracts are the latest stage of the Sovereign Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) Challenge being managed by Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA). AMSL Aero, Boresight and Grabba Technologies were…
The federal government has delivered on its promise of more rapid defence decision making, accelerating the manufacture of the Ghost Shark underwater autonomous vehicle for undersea surveillance, reconnaissance and strike at a new factory to be built in Australia. The government has already spent $90 million along with Anduril Industries developing the very large autonomous…
Australia has clear defence industry priorities including developing a local drone manufacturing sector. Here Dr Peter Layton examines Defence’s recent drone purchases, and asks why then, do we buy overseas made drones and not the best value or most advanced ones at that? In late February the Minister for Defence Industry launched the Defence Industry…
By Peter Roberts This week, did we see an example of the federal government’s new policies to link innovation more directly and speedily to eventual purchase? Or was this the last gasp of Defence’s traditional glacial approach to procurement. These questions loom large in Monday’s announcement that the government would invest over $100 million to…
The Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) will hold a pitch day in September, with development contracts worth up to $750,000 on offer for companies successfully outlining their technologies to Defence. According to a statement from defence industry minister Pat Conroy on Friday, expressions of interest are open until July 22, with selected companies invited to…
