James Cook University engineers have created a groundbreaking bendable ceramic material that could revolutionise aerospace design, the university announced on Wednesday. The material, which can be 3D-printed and withstand more than 10,000 loading cycles without breaking, has attracted the attention of global aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which will partner with the JCU team over the…
Shares in aerospace composites manufacturer Quickstep increased 94 percent today to reach 38 cents on news of a takeover offer that would see the company join an expanding and market leading group of defence suppliers majority owned by CPE Capital. CPE Capital is a highly experienced provider of development capital to medium sized growth businesses…
By David Tuffley, Griffith University In a significant blow to Australia’s defence capabilities, the federal government is cancelling what would have been the nation’s largest-ever space project: a A$7 billion military satellite communications system. The decision was confirmed in a press statement today. It comes just 18 months after the Albanese government gave the green…
Space systems and satellite sector manufacturer Inovor Technologies has become the latest company to graduate from the Lockheed Martin Mentor Protégé Program which mentors the leadership teams of key defence suppliers to the company. Inovor joins Clearbox Systems, the first supplier to graduate outside the US, and Silentium Defence which have also benefitted from the…
Long servicing CEO and Managing Director and board member Mark Burgess is to leave composites manufacturer Quickstep to pursue other opportunities, according to the Sydney company. The company’s Chief Operating Officer Demi Stefanova will assume the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. The Chair of Quickstep Patrick Largier said: “The evolving aerospace market…
By Peter Roberts We all know that Australia is scrambling to build up its missile defences, but it is somewhat galling to find the latest US$100 million purchase involves no local production whatsoever, and no technology transfer of any sort to Australians. Well that’s not entirely true, they will teach us how to fire the…
Aerospace composites manufacturer Quickstep is offering to sell its aircraft maintenance division Quickstep Aerospace Services only three years after buying the Tullamarine, Melbourne company. Quickstep paid $2.64 million to buy Boeing Australia Component Repairs Pty Ltd to give itself a new growth business and to add steady MRO income to its high tech manufacture of…
BHP sets new copper smelting records BHP has set new records for smelted copper production at its South Australian copper mines centred on the Olympic Dam mine, concentrator and smelter. The company achieved record copper mined and concentrate smelted at Olympic Dam in FY24 production was up by 39 per cent to 322kt in the…
Adelaide’s Axiom Precision Manufacturing and Newcastle’s Nupress Group have been contracted by Lockheed Martin to produce precision machined components for the next-generation Orion spacecraft. With origins in automotive and toolmaking, the companies are capitalising on the opportunities that advanced Australian manufacturers can access by diversifying into space. The Orion spacecraft will be the primary astronaut…
Boeing has signed a contract with Lockheed Martin Australia to deliver the deployed communications elements of the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) next generation Joint Air Battle Management System (JABMS) under project AIR6500. Drawing on the technology developed for the Currawong Battlespace Communications System, Boeing Defence Australia (BDA) will deliver hardware and software for voice and…