The first prototype Ghost Shark autonomous undersea vessel (pictured) being developed for the Royal Australian Navy has been completed. The name references Boeing’s successful development of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Ghost Bat for the RAAF. Developed in Sydney by US start up Anduril, the company has previously shown a 2.8 tonne ‘Dive-LD’ autonomous submarine,…
AML3D 3D printer gets to work in US submarine programme AML3D’s industrial-scale ARCEMY ‘X-Edition 6700’ Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) metal 3D printing system has been commissioned and is in operation at the US Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence (AM CoE) in Danville, Virginia. The $1.1 million order for the machine was placed through…
Figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) have allowed the federal government to spruik the economic benefits of defence spending in growing Australia’s defence industry. The Australian Defence Industry Account (ADIA) data for 2022-23 shows the contribution from Australia’s defence industry to the national economy grew by 4.1 per cent on the…
NIOA Group CEO Robert Nioa has called for swift action to boost Australia’s defence industry so it could play a part in a future Indo-Pacific allied military force. Speaking to the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Queensland Nioa said decisive action was needed due to a ‘palpable’ escalation of geopolitical tensions. Nioa recently inked an…
XTEK has won a $1.6 million order for specialist ballistic armour from a European customer that had purchased $2.6 million in armour in July.
By Adam Bartley, RMIT University and Matthew Warren, RMIT University A 12-tonne fishing boat weighs anchor three kilometres off the port of Adelaide. A small crew huddles over a miniature submarine, activates the controls, primes the explosives, and releases it into the water. The underwater drone uses sensors and sonar to navigate towards its pre-programmed…
Former coalition minister for defence industry Christopher Pyne has revealed his dismay at the closure of the car industry which came after a challenge from then Treasurer Joe Hockey for GM Holden to leave the country. Pyne did not express misgivings publicly at the time, but according to an interview in the website of the…
BAE Systems Australia turned 70 this month, making it one of Australia’s oldest, largest and fastest growing defence manufacturers. Here Ben Hudson reflects on the contribution of the defence sector in Australia to national security and prosperity. All too often I believe we have made a point of focusing on major programme challenges, without reflecting…
Australian owned munitions manufacturer NIOA has installed cutting edge ballistics data acquisition technology capable of measuring real-time projectile velocity and location at the company’s Brisbane range facility. NIOA Australia’s General Manager – Engineering Rudi Bekker said the technology was a gamechanger in weapon and ammunition performance testing, taking accuracy diagnostics to the next level. Bekker…
Increasing multinational collaboration among AUKUS companies in Australia’s shipbuilding sector is apparent in a new tie up between US-based Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) and Melbourne’s Marand Precision Engineering. FMD is a primary supplier to the US Navy of marine power and propulsion systems, while Marand has increasingly been penetrating defence from its origins in the…
