Results for: australia

Innovaero has just announced its strategic partnership with BAE Systems Australia for the design, development and launch of the STRIX Uncrewed VTOL Aerial System at Avalon 2023. This is the first collaborative venture for both companies in the Australian marketplace on emerging UAS capabilities for the defense sector.

STRIX is a significant Australian innovation, with Innovaero and BAE Systems Australia combining to design an entirely new concept.

STRIX is a hybrid-propulsion tandem wing, with multi-domain and multi-role UAS capability. The STRIX uncrewed air system (UAS), of which a prototype is already in development, could be used for a variety of missions including air to ground strike against hostile targets and persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). It could also act as a ‘loyal wingman’ for military helicopters.

Perth-based Innovaero is a 100% Australian-owned aeronautical product design, certification, and manufacturing company, with a track record of delivering successful outcomes for clients in Australia. Its team of world-class aeronautical specialists is globally recognised for its innovation, including its world leading aerial camera array solutions.

Innovaero Group Chief Executive Officer Simon Grosser said the design and development of STRIX demonstrated the company’s capabilities for the defense sector. “To witness the capability STRIX will provide to Defence, through partnering with BAE Systems Australia, is very exciting. STRIX has the potential payload capacity, range, speed, and advanced autonomy to provide real differential over current market offerings.” Mr Grosser said.

BAE Systems Australia Chief Executive Officer Ben Hudson paid tribute to the team at Innovaero for the work delivered to date on the STRIX model and prototype. “Innovaero is an amazing team of passionate Australians specialising in novel airborne systems,” Mr Hudson said. “STRIX is a real testament to the culture that Mike has developed at Innovaero.”

Why it’s important: STRIX is an entirely new UAS concept and a significant Australian innovation, the product of close collaboration between local aerospace SME Innovaero and Australia’s largest defense prime, BAE Systems Australia. The UAS has emerged as a critical defense capability of the future. STRIX is a stride forward into the next generation of autonomous hybrid-propulsion VTOL multi-role UAS delivering sustainable superiority on the in battlefield, an opening opportunities for these vehicles in logistics transportation.

Source // Innovaero Press Release

Air taxi infrastructure company Skyportz and property developer Pelligra announced today a partnership to explore jointly developing vertiport networks to attract air taxi and drone delivery services to Australia. Speaking at the Avalon Airshow, Skyportz CEO Clem Newton-Brown said this partnership was a significant step forward for this emerging industry in Australia.

“We have strong policy support from the Federal Government and our air regulator, CASA to develop Advanced Air Mobility in Australia. The front runner electric air taxis will be  certified to operate in the next couple of years. We now need the vertiport sites and if  Australia can establish a launch vertiport network we will be in a position to attract the first  of these clean, green, quiet aircraft to Australian skies”. 

The Agreement builds on a previous partnership between Skyportz and other property owners such as Secure Parking which has hundreds of parking sites at urban hubs.

Pelligra is a third generation family business with an extensive portfolio of over 1200 projects in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and overseas. 

The next step in the partnership is to focus their resources on a region or city that actively wants to be a world leader in Advanced Air Mobility. Nowhere in the world has a vertiport network yet been established, but several European and American cities are well advanced in their planning. 

USA-based consultancy Nexa Capital has assessed the potential return on five use cases in cities such as Melbourne to be in excess of $5 billion in the first 20 years of operations, and the partnership between Skyportz and Pelligra aims to bridge that gap. 

“The key to this industry is breaking the nexus between aviation and existing airports. We need to develop a network of new vertiport sites if the industry is to reach its potential and Skyportz is readying the landscape to partner with infrastructure partners such as Pelligra”,  said Newton-Brown. 

Why it’s important: The partnership between Pelligra and Skyportz will afford each member more resources to continue exploration of development sites for vertiports in Australia and reflects an increasing focus of late on vertiport infrastructure. While aerial mobility aircraft remain a large portion of the focus for AAM developments, more and more attention is also being directed toward wide-scale development of vertiport and supporting infrastructure for AAM operations.

Australia’s Ministry for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government has released $18M in grants under the first round of the New and Emerging Aviation Technology Partnerships in early November.

“The Emerging Aviation Technology Partnerships Program will ensure our aviation sector remains at the forefront of innovation as it continues to develop and grow, particularly with renewed focus on achieving net zero carbon emissions”, said Minister Catherine King.

This Grant makes it clear that there is strong policy support for aerial mobility in Australia and supports the eVTOL development roadmap issued by CASA to guide the future deployment and rollout of aerial mobility services in Australia.

Companies like Skyportz are seeking to capitalize on this new fund, having worked over the past 4 years to encourage the development of Advanced Air Mobility policy at all levels of Government, particularly in the space of essential vertiport infrastructure.

Skyportz has over 400 potential sites owned by property partners that are interested in licensing for operation of said sites as vertiports.

“The key to this industry is breaking the nexus between aviation and existing airports. We need to develop a network of new vertiport sites if the industry is to reach its potential and Skyportz is readying the landscape to partner with infrastructure investors”, said Skyportz CEO Clem Newton-Brown.

Why it’s important: Australia’s CASA budget for continued eVTOL development supports the future growth of aerial mobility in Australia and provides a monetary incentive for companies considering entry to the space. Additionally, the monetary incentive will also attract land owners and those in commercial real estate to more seriously consider their holdings as potential opportunities for aerial mobility usage.

Airspeeder completed a first for motorsport and for the developing aerial mobility industry in the salt flats of South Australia last week via completion of their first head-to-head airspeeder eVTOL race.

Pilot Zephatiali Walsh beat fellow competitor Fabio Tishcler in a closely contested inaugural EXA race. The aircraft were remotely piloted, and this was the first time two pilots were given license to race their 4.1m long eVTOL’s in a fully competitive remote race setting.

Airspeeder instituted a number of technologies to enable and operationalize this race, including race control stations, pilot control stations, 5G networks, Augmented Reality (AR) Sky Tracks, and engineering and team control stations. Many of these functions are similar to that of the higher echelons of motor racing, however have been adapted for use in a modified, aerial racing format.

Airspeeder also focused on rule development and safety management, using a system of logistics and race management protocols as a groundwork for future, more complicated races with additional aircraft.

Why it’s important: Airspeeder’s overall development goal is similar to that of Formula 1 racing: to permeate technological advancements from competitive motor racing into general public use technology. As Airspeeder furthers the speed, controllability, and operational ease of their EXA eVTOLs, those same advancements are intended to someday transition to passenger-carrying eVTOLs at larger scale. Further, creating fanfare behind eVTOLs could facilitate and expedite public acceptance of commercial air taxi operations in the nearer term.

Skyportz announced today the design for the first vertiport in Australia to service the emerging electric air taxi industry at the AAUS annual Advanced Air Mobility summit in Melbourne.

The vertiport will be located at Caribbean Park in Melbourne’s east, the fastest growing business precinct outside of the Melbourne CBD.

Caribbean Park and Skyportz have worked with Contreras Earl Architects, to70 aviation, ARUP and Microflite to come up with a practical, modular design to satisfy operational requirements to operate as a vertiport for Advanced Air Mobility.

“With the development of a vertiport in a business park we are breaking the nexus between aviation and airports. For this industry to succeed it needs to have policy makers pushing the envelope to support new “mini airports” in locations people want to go”, said Clem Newton-Brown, CEO of Skyportz.

“However community support is going to be the key to the development of these services. The community is going to have to see the benefits”

“Electric air taxis will be a new era in aviation where clean, green and quiet small aircraft can take people to places they want to go – be it work or leisure. The Caribbean Park vertiport is the first in a network of sites we will establish in advance of the aircraft becoming operational” said Newton-Brown.

The Federal regulator, CASA recently released a roadmap for the introduction of Advanced Air Mobility to Australia and various States are also trying to attract the investment which will flow from being a frontrunner in this new aviation industry.

It is anticipated that some eVTOL aircraft will be commercially in the coming years, with some timelines including 2024 for limited initial passenger carrying flights. There are over 300 designs in development and the frontrunners are already flying prototypes.

Skyportz will be seeking investment partners to fund the construction of the vertiport at Caribbean Park which will be the first in a stable of vertiports strategically located around Australia.

Why it’s important: Skyportz’ approval for usage of Melbourne’e east location is a milestone step along the path for the company to now shift focus to obtaining funding and construction partners for the project. The location will support the Melbourne urban area’s commuting requirements, and the project’s success is largely contingent on efficiently linking to other facets of the transportation system. This includes the Melbourne International Airport as well as other tertiary cities nearby, such as Geelong, and the viability of repurposing helicopter landing pads to create a network of eVTOL routes that will supplant a main hub in Melbourne.

August 30 and 31st will feature Australia’s Advanced Aerial Mobility summit, hosted by the Australian Association for Unmanned Systems in Melbourne, Australia.

The Inaugural AAM Summit occurred last year as a virtual event. In 2022, the Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems’ AAM Summit has returned with a hybrid option, providing attendees the ability to participate in speaker talks and roundtables both virtually and in-person.

The Summit will attract a diverse range of speakers to explore Australia’s opportunities and challenges in adopting this innovative mode of transport and foster a collaborative environment where best practices can be leveraged by respective attendees.

The Summit will feature a broad array of focus areas, including:

• Why Australia? –  Strategic context for AAM
• What’s already in place to enable the emerging industry?
• Where are the gaps?
• Government setting Policy and Regulation
• Updates from leading eVTOL / eSTOL manufacturers
• Emerging AAM applications – benefits, viability and social acceptance
• Environmental benefits of transition to electric aviation
• Development of a local AAM sector (skills, jobs R&D, advanced manufacturing)
• Improving supply chain efficiency, capability and resilience
• AAM stimulating new regional market opportunities and regional development
• AAM supporting emerging technology to reinvigorate regional aviation and GA
• Future infrastructure requirements to enable AAM / UAM
• Build greater community awareness of the emerging AAM / UAM sector and the potential economic, social, and environmental benefits it can offer

Why it’s important: Australia has intentionally developed an increasing aerial mobility presence over the past decade, both through state funded initiatives and via OEM’s and startups within the country and region testing and refining their technology beyond Australia, to include locations in Europe, Africa, and Asia. This development has traditionally focused on unmanned aerial systems serving logistical, EMS, and survey applications across Australia.

Increasingly, the focus has started to shift from unmanned systems to passenger carrying unmanned systems. The Australian AAM Summit will allow players from around the world to come together and leverage the progress in a different regulatory and operational landscape to European and North American developments to bridge the gap between the current technology state and the desired end goal. The cross-pollination of ideas and networking opportunities at the conference will also provide additional awareness of the progress of Australian AAM efforts to date.

Link to more information, event registration, and schedule: https://aaus.org.au/aam-summit-2022/

Dufour Aerospace, a Swiss company developing tilt-wing eVTOL aircraft, has announced a partnership with new Australian firm V-STAR Powered Lift Aviation for eVTOL applications in Australia.

Above: Rendering of Dufour Aerospace’s eVTOL on a potential rescue or cargo mission in Australia

Australian firm V-STAR Powered Lift Aviation is a newly formed venture by a group of business leaders with significant experience in defense, commercial, and search and rescue operations around the globe, and was created through a merger between two leading South Australia aviation businesses.

According to recent press release from Dufour, V-STAR sees the potential for many domestic applications of VTOL aircraft in Australia, and hopes to take advantage of the unique market opportunities presented by Dufour’s aircraft.

Said V-STAR’s CEO and Founder Tony Laws: “These new aircraft designs will change the way we approach regional travel and transport in Australia. Anywhere we need to get people and equipment quickly and cheaply is where these aeroplanes come in.”

The agreement between Dufour and V-STAR will give V-STAR early access to Dufour’s unmanned and manned tilt-wing aircraft. The unmanned aircraft will be capable of carrying up to 88 lbs of cargo, while the manned version could carry up to 7 passengers plus a pilot, or about 1600 lbs of cargo.

Dufour’s Co-Founder and CEO Thomas Pfammatter commented: “We are very much looking forward to exploring the many opportunities for deploying unmanned and manned tilt-wing aircraft in Australia. The formation of V-STAR Powered Lift Aviation marks an important milestone in this journey. We are proud to be working with such an experienced team to move sustainable aviation forward.”

Dufour has over 30 years of experience in Swiss commercial helicopter operations, and has been working on its eVTOL program since 2018. Watch a recent test flight video of a scale prototype from Dufour below:

Why it’s important: With this announcement, V-STAR and Dufour aerospace have given themselves additional credibility on the market, and have begun to set up a path to commercial operations for Dufour’s eVTOL aircraft. With the aerial mobility on the rise in Australia, Dufour and V-STAR are now well set up to make their mark on this new aerial transportation industry.

Source // Dufour Aerospace

Related:

• Australia Releases Timeline for Advanced Aerial Mobility Progress; Skyportz Positions for Future (July 2022)
• Savback Helicopters to distribute Dufour Aerospace eVTOL aircraft in Scandinavia (January 2022)
• A First Look at Aero3, Dufour Aerospace’s Flagship eVTOL Aircraft (August 2021)
• Dufour and Blueberry Aviation Enter Strategic Partnership (April 2022)

Skytrans, a regional airline based in Cairns, Australia, has announced that it will purchase and operate up to five of startup Stralis’ new hydrogen fuell-cell powered aircraft, with initial operations expected to begin in 2026.

Above: Rendering of a Beechcraft B1900D-HE retrofitted with Stralis’ hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion

For its initial aircraft, Stralis will retrofit hydrogen-electric propulsion systems into conventional Beechcraft 1900D airplanes, with eventual ‘clean-sheet’ aircraft to follow. By using this retrofit design, Stralis expects its first hydrogen fuel-cell airplanes to begin test flights in 2025 with certification and entry to operations by 2026.

The retrofitted B1900D-HE will carry up to 15 passengers, while later clean-sheet aircraft from Stralis will seat up to 45. Fuel-cell powered B1900D-HEs will have a range of up to 800km per flight, which suits many of Skytrans’ current routes.

Skytrans currently owns and operates five Havilland DHC-8-100s, some of which would be augmented or replaced with the new hydrogen fuel-cell aircraft from Stralis. In the partnership with Stralis, Skytrans has ordered three fuel-cell powered B1900D-HE’s, with options for another two.

With the addition of these new aircraft as well as more potential hydrogen aircraft in the future, Skytrans hopes to reach completely net-zero emissions by 2050.

Above: A Havilland DHC-8-100 aircraft currently operated by Skytrans

Stralis, also based in Australia, hopes to use momentum generated by sales of its retrofitted B1900D-HE aircraft to create and sell its own clean-sheet airframes: The SA-1, a hydrogen fuel-cell turboprop aircraft with room for 45 passengers and a range of 3,000 kilometers, and the SA-2, a hydrogen fuel-cell jet with room for up to 90 passengers and ranges over 7,000 kilometers. Stralis hopes to begin operations of the SA-1 by 2030, and of the SA-2 by 2035.

Said Stralis’ Chief Technology office Stuart Johnstone: “As green hydrogen drops in price, it will become price competitive with fossil fuels within the next five years and we want to be well positioned to capitalise on the opportunities from this technology. When the B1900D-HE enters service in 2026, it will have comparable operating costs to conventional 19 seat turboprop aircraft, and 25 per cent less operating costs by 2035.”

CEO of Skytrans Alan Milne stated: “We are proud to be leading the nation in developing its hydrogen industry and we want to play a leading role in showing that this technology can work in aviation. The impacts of climate change are concerning for local communities and that’s why we are playing a major role in reducing the environmental impact of aviation.”

Above: A Beechcraft 1900D operated by the Swiss Air Force.

Why it’s important: Companies like Skytrans and Stralis are starting to push the boundaries on new types of propulsion for conventional regional aircraft and routes. By retro-fitting Beechcraft 1900D aircraft rather than initially creating entirely new aircraft, Stralis should achieve a much quicker route to certification and launch of operations for its first aircraft. Once fuel-cell aircraft by Stralis are already in operation by companies like Skytrans, the market adoption of fuel-cell and electric propulsion aircraft should accelerate greatly, giving both Stralis and other companies the opportunity to create new kinds of aircraft and also put more hydrogen fuel-cell aircraft into operation.

Source // AuManufacturing, Simple Flying, Stralis, Skytrans

Related:

• HyPoint Partners with Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories for Upgrade in Hydrogen Fuel Capacity for Aerial Mobility Aircraft
• Plug Power Invests in Airflow’s eSTOL for Hydrogen Propulsion
• HyPoint and Piasecki Aircraft Announce Partnership for Development of Hydrogen Fuel Cell System
• Honeywell Purchases Ballard Systems for Developing Drone Hydrogen Fuel Cells
• Airbus Focuses on Hydrogen Power for Flight

CASA, the Civil Air Safety board of Australia, recently disclosed their timeline for the advancement of aerial mobility. Companies such as Skyportz in Australia are making moves to be well positioned for the future expansion of some of the aerial mobility use cases defined in the timeline.

Pip Spence, CEO of CASA, said of the released white paper: “we brought in RPAS legislation ahead of many other countries and we continued to sharpen our focus on emerging technology over the years. We are committed to advancing these pioneering technologies and see this roadmap as a priority as we  frame the future of Australian aviation.”

The announcement builds on the New and Emerging Aviation Technologies white paper, which is supported by a $32.6M grant fund. This fund is open to both local and international companies wanting assistance to trial, test and bring their activities to Australian shores. 

Skyportz is the sole vertiport firm in Australia, and has been working for 4 years to encourage the development of Advanced Air Mobility policy at all levels of Government, particularly in the space of essential vertiport  infrastructure. 

“We were one of the industry players that was invited to contribute to this CASA timeline document and we are so pleased with the clarity this will provide to the industry”, said Clem Newton-Brown, CEO of Skyportz. 

Skyportz has over 400 potential sites owned by property partners wanting to get a  first mover advantage in this emerging industry. 

Why it’s important: Local relations and an established footprint are crucial components of any successful vertiport campaign, and companies such as Skyports are establishing inroads in the locales where there are few competitors. Some aerial mobility OEMs are working to vertically integrate vertiport infrastructure, with varied degrees of success. In many OEMs’ home countries, integration and vertiport construction efforts are quite efficient, but political and private partnerships in other locations will require more coordination and challenge the two camps (horizontal and vertical integration) of the infrastructure of aerial mobility.

Learn more about the roadmap here: https://www.casa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-06/the-rpas-and-aam-roadmap.pdf

Skyportz, the Australian eVTOL vertiport developer, has announced plans to expand its footprint in takeoff and landing sites throughout the country. Skyportz, created out of the COVID-19 pandemic, aims to convert lost demand for commercial parking spaces into vertiports. In turn, this would provide potential revenue and business opportunities to real estate investors who would otherwise see dwindling returns in the commercial space.

“While there will always be a need for car parking in our cities, it may be that the demand is not going to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels,” says Skyportz founder and CEO, Clem Newton-Brown. “Car parks are ideal locations for Skyportz facilities. They are generally located in places people want to go, and they are constructed to a standard that can take the weight of vehicles on flat rooftops.”

The company recently announced a partnership with Secure Parking, where it will have access to over 400 rooftops on existing facilities in and around city-center business districts.

“Skyportz is the first vertiport aspirant to actually put the cards on the table with what sites we have access to. We are not focusing on demonstrator landing sites; we are assembling the network of sites that will be needed to make [air taxis] a viable business,” said Newton-Brown.

The company is already making progress with the Australian government to develop regulations and laws surrounding the development and operation of eVTOL landing facilities.

“There is strong political support to develop a new era in clean, green electric aviation in Australia,” added Newton-Brown, who is a former Victoria state legislator. “However, we are waiting on federal standards and new state regulations to be developed before we can proceed to build the network. Community support for this new era in aviation is going to be essential and we expect that services will start outside urban areas in the initial phase, with the first electric aircraft becoming operational in the next few years.”

Why it matters: Infrastructure is a critical component of making aerial mobility a reality. The COVID pandemic has yet again offered opportunities to create the needed infrastructure as business demand shifts. Expect to see investments like this one around the world as manufacturers begin commercial service and operation of their vehicles.

Airspeeder, the company famous for developing ‘flying race cars’ that are single-seater quadcopters inspired by Formula One vehicles, has released footage of two of its prototype aircraft in a remotely piloted drag race. The flight demonstrated the competitive capabilities of these lightweight aircraft, and gave the world a sampling what full-scale Airspeeder races will soon look like.

Airspeeder has been working on its vision for eVTOL races sine 2016, and since then the company has been edging ever closer to conducting the world’s first high-speed, piloted, eVTOL races. Last year, the company unveiled its MK3 Airspeeder racing aircraft, capable of flying at speeds over 90mph (which it did in this race). It uses a 96 kW electric powertrain that gives the MK3 a thrust to weight ratio above two, with the entire vehicle only weighing (220 lb) unmanned, and is controlled by a joystick.

The company Airspeeder, which aims to become the world’s first ‘flying car’ racing series, is built on the idea that “Nothing accelerates technological progress like sporting competition”. According to founders of the team, Airspeeder hopes to use the technology developed in its competitive race series to push forward performance and safety in the entire eVTOL industry, while at the same time using publicity of the races to encourage public acceptance of these new types of vehicles. Founders at Airspeeder believe deeply in the power of electric vertical flight to transform society, and hope that its aircraft and aerial motorsport will give the world a push in that direction.

Watch the unveiling video of the Airspeeder MK3 aircraft from last May below:

Why it’s important: In May of this year, Airspeeder claimed that it would begin remotely piloted, competitive races between teams starting in late 2021. This drag race completed that milestone, and according to the company, manned races will begin starting sometime in 2022. With this drag race event, Airspeeder has shown that it is able to stick to its timeline, and therefore it is becoming more and more likely that Airspeeder next year will become the very first flying race car series in the world.

Source // Airspeeder

Related:

• Airspeeder Initial Flying Car Races Set For Later This Year (May 2021)
• Airspeeder MK3: World’s First Electric Flying Racing Car (February 2021)
• A Trade Study in Endurance and Performance: Airspeeder’s Battery Configuration (December 2020)

Aviation business Microflite and electric air taxi infrastructure start up Skyportz announced a partnership on August 30th to lay foundations for expanded air taxi infrastructure in Australia. Microflite operates Australia’s largest fleet of helicopters, servicing various sectors including tourism, charter, search and rescue, firefighting and pilot training.

Skyportz is working with property owners to establish the landing infrastructure required for the introduction of electric air taxis. Both Microflite and Skyportz plan to work with all new electric aircraft as they move through certification. Rod Higgins, General Manager of Microflite said, “Microflite operates a range of different aircraft and we intend to be at the forefront of the industry as it morphs into cleaner and quieter electric propulsion. We can forsee that many of our tourist operations will be very well suited to electric aviation”. “With quieter operations we believe there will be opportunities to operate from the new range of landing sites that Skyportz is assembling”. “The Skyportz partnership will enable us to rapidly grow our tourism business to new destinations. We will be able to take on new electric aircraft into our fleet as soon as they are available to operate on the Skyportz network”, Mr Higgins said.

Clem Newton-Brown, CEO and founder of Skyportz has been working on the critical landing infrastructure component to enable Advanced Air Mobility for some years. He is Chair of the Advanced Air Mobility working group of the Australian Association for Unmanned Systems and serves on the NASA working group and a Federal committee investigating new and emerging aviation technologies. “There is no doubt we are headed for a revolution in micro-aviation. The aircraft are coming and there is support at a Federal and State level for Australia to be a world leader in Advanced Air Mobility”’ Mr Newton-Brown said.

“It is not going to be the technology which holds up the advance of electric air taxis and freight drones. It is having enough pilots and places to land which will be the impediment which will limit the potential for Advanced Air Mobility” “Microflite and Skyportz are focusing on these bottlenecks and creating the ecosystem which will attract aircraft manufacturers that want to enter the Australian market” he said. Microflite and Skyportz are already assisting various air taxi start ups in establishing concepts of operations in Australia for their aircraft and they look forward to helping them to get established utilizing their infrastructure and support.

The first air taxi summit in Australia commences in Melbourne this week and has attracted global players in this emerging industry.

Why it’s important: While aircraft manufacturing partnerships are becoming increasingly common between OEM’s and companies with direct-aviation related products, partnerships that focus on infrastructure pairings are few and far between. Real estate equity groups and those familiar with aviation operations such as on-demand helicopter and aircraft charter service BLADE UAM in the United States are well poised to succeed in offering large networks of vertiports across nations (and even continents). Whether those networks will be open source or privatized for paid use by owners and/or operators remains to be seen, and is a key component of understanding the mechanics of future on-demand air taxi operations.

Sources // Microflite; Skyportz