The Australian Army has partnered with the Defence Innovation Hub to award three innovation contracts to Australian industry and research organisations to develop a next generation Small Unmanned Aerial System (SUAS) for use by Australian soldiers.
Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, has congratulated these organisations and thanked them for stepping up to answer the capability challenge presented by Army.
Minister Pyne said Defence units have an enduring need to be able to detect, observe and classify potential threats as they move through hazardous environments.
“Small Unmanned Aerial System capability enables airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities,” Minister Pyne said.
“Ensuring our Defence Force personnel have the most up-to-date, cutting-edge technology supports them in their mission to defend Australia and its interests.”
“It is encouraging to see the Defence Innovation Hub, the Australian Army and local industry partners working together to develop innovative solutions to enhance Defence capability.”
Totalling $783,000, the contracts were selected as part of the new Special Notice platform trialled by the Defence Innovation Hub, which allows capability managers to call for industry and research organisations to submit proposals in response to specific capability challenges.
Special Notices will be advertised on the Defence Innovation Portal as they arise. For more information, please visit www.business.gov.au/cdic.
Contracts awarded today through the Defence Innovation Hub:
| Organisation | Contract Value | Description of Innovation |
| JAR Aerospace
(NSW) |
$275,000 | To develop a hybrid vertical take-off and landing with fixed wing unmanned aerial system that will incorporate target tracking, encryption and acoustic sensing and analysis at an extended range. |
| SYPAQ Systems
(VIC) |
$258,621 | To further develop their Corvo X small unmanned aerial system that has vertical take-off and landing capacity with an extended flight time. The Corvo X also has a ground control operating system appropriate for use on both Windows and Android platforms. |
| University of Sydney
(NSW) |
$249,524 | To develop a lightweight unmanned aerial system that combines vertical take-off capabilities with horizontal fixed wing flight for extended speed and endurance. The system will be supported by a suite of cutting edge communication, control and sensor payloads. |
