Additive manufacturer Aurora Labs has received an order from the Department of Defence to 3D print a micro gas turbine aircraft engine. The order, valued at $319,000, demonstrates the company’s growing role in enhancing sovereign capabilities through cutting-edge additive manufacturing technologies, according to an announcement. It builds upon the ongoing development of A3D’s existing range…
Round 16 Cooperative Research Centres Project (CRC-P) grants totalling approximately $55 million have been awarded to 23 projects, involving companies including junior mining explorer Impact Minerals, medical test maker ZiP Diagnostics, drone mapping specialist Emesent, and hydrogen storage company Rux Energy. In a statement on Tuesday, industry minister Ed Husic said one grant for almost…
Boeing’s MQ-28A Ghost Bat programme has achieved another milestone with the first Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) pilot taking the controls of the unmanned aircraft. Experienced remote systems pilot WGCDR Phil Parsons (pictured) completed Boeing’s training on June 13, becoming the first non-Boeing pilot on the programme. As a launch and recovery operator, Parsons would…
Composites manufacturer Quickstep is gaining new successes in the drone manufacturing business, recently passing its 100th drone delivered for customers Swoop Aero and Carbonix. The Sydney company is more used to manufacturing critical aerospace parts such as wing trailing edges for Lockheed Martin’s C-130J Super Hercules transporter and tail components for the F-35 Lightning fighter…
The Australian Army is to purchase a loitering drone munition or bomb by the end of the year with media reports suggesting that it will buy Perth-based Innovaero’s One-Way Loitering (OWL) munition being developed in association with Boeing subsidiary Insitu Pacific (IPL). ABC reports that an electrically powered drone able to travel almost 200 kilometres…
@AuManufacturing’s series Towards 3% R&D has been noticed from Canberra to business. Here, Dario Valenza charts some of the impediments to manufacturing and asks whether there is a path ahead, without sacrificing the things we value about Australia. Let’s start by acknowledging that we have a high cost base in Australia because of geography, regulation,…
Orica announces executive appointments including new CFO Explosives technology group Orica has announced changes to its executive committee. Chief Financial Officer, Kim Kerr has decided to leave Orica and James Crough has been appointed as CFO. James joined Orica in May 2019 as Vice President of Finance, Australia Pacific and Asia. Subsequently, he was Interim…
Orthocell solidifies partnership with UWA Tissue regeneration technology developer Orthocell has executed an agreement with the University of Western Australia to exchange UWA’s entitlement to royalties for equity in Orthocell. The company will issue UWA 1.71 million shares in the company at a deemed price of 35 cents, placing the university among the top 20…
Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology has successfully completed the first flight of an Australian-developed hydrogen fuel cell electric powered VTOL drone. The flight occurring last week in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley was the first of its type in Australia. This flight was the first electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL), hydrogen-powered uncrewed aerial system (UAS) flight.…
Defence manufacturer Electro Optic Systems has launched a new weapon system that combines lasers and machine guns and cannon to detect and destroy hostile drones in the battlefield. The company has previously demonstrated a combination of directed energy (laser) and 30mm cannon systems at its Canberra test facility (pictured). However EOS Defense Systems USA has…
