Downer Defence Systems (DDS) has partnered with Urban Circus, EPE, and Boeing offshoot Insitu Pacific to develop the autonomous Muskito military vehicle (pictured). DDS has been announced as prime systems integrator for the velicle, a Counter Improvised Explosive Device (CIED) concept that will use autonomous systems and machine learning. Once an explosive threat is detected,…
Comment by Peter Roberts Canberra has only been pursuing its focus on defence industry since 2016, but after four years it is clear that increased defence spending really is generating significant, fundamental innovation by our SME manufacturers. The latest example, and there have been many reported in @AuManufacturing, comes from Ron and Yvette Allum of…
BAE Systems Australia has revealed it is involved in research into the young field of hypersonic vehicles capable of travelling at greater than Mach 5. The company took to social media to reveal that its newly established Red Ochre Labs would research hypersonics, which BAE Systems described as ‘a challenging and extremely fast area of…
@AuManufacturing‘s editorial series, ‘Working smarter with data‘, concludes today with a profile of the most ambitious digitisation programme underway in Australia – the creation of a unique, fully digital shipyard in Adelaide to construct naval vessels. By Peter Roberts. A broad stretch of Adelaide’s Port River sweeps past what is Australia’s most advanced programme of…
Solar PV rooftop mountings manufacturer Solpod Pty Ltd has signed has signed an OEM agreement with German-based Schletter to onshore production of its innovative redeployable rooftop system for large-scale commercial solar installations. Known in the market as the Solpod Mini, the company is manufacturing the system in its Dandenong, Melbourne plant, with sales to customers…
BAE Systems Australia, Defence and University of Adelaide have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on HF radar, including establishment of a new Centre for High Frequency Technologies.
The Defence Innovation Hub has announced its latest round of grants to industry worth $28 million, with grant funds going to nine new contracts and two existing projects. Two of the recipients, BlueZone Group and QinetiQ, were awarded contracts to further develop promising technologies that have previously received grant funding support. BlueZone Group won a…
Recycling technology and equipment company Container Deposit Systems has been busy installing its machines as container recycling takes hold across the country. The company manufactures intelligent machines that use vision systems to identify, sort and count containers eligible under state container deposit systems in a high speed and accurate manner. Suitable for self-service use by…
Ten SMEs have joined defence prime Raytheon Australia to bid to provide a sovereign Australian Industry Capability (AIC) to the army in the LAND 129 Phase 3 tactical Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) project. Raytheon’s solution features a rotary wing UAS and may be based on Schiebel Pacific Limited’s CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS (pictured). The team, which…
Philanthropic organisations are able to mobilise capital and drive innovation to solve big, thorny problems in a way that governments cannot, according to Adrian Turner, the former CSIRO executive now running the Minderoo Wildfire and Disaster Resilience program.