• Unmanned Aerial Systems' StopRotor aircraft demonstrating its fixed wing and rotary abilities. Credit: Unmanned Aerial Systems via YouTube
    Unmanned Aerial Systems' StopRotor aircraft demonstrating its fixed wing and rotary abilities. Credit: Unmanned Aerial Systems via YouTube
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Three Australian businesses have been awarded contracts through the Defence Innovation Hub to further develop innovative technologies to maintain a war fighting advantage.

Aerospace and Mechanical Consulting Engineers has been awarded $659,000 for a lightweight armour solution for ADF aircraft using panels designed with new materials and ballistic protection level. Unmanned Aerial Systems has been awarded $293,000 for combining features of a helicopter and a fixed wing aircraft in order to increase performance, efficiency and capability, and the Defence Materials Technology Centre has been awarded $287,000 for armour for soldiers that is lightweight with improved protection levels and functional integration.


Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne said the contracts, which total over $1.2 million, demonstrate the government’s commitment to supporting local Defence industry and its innovation potential.

“The Defence Innovation Hub is supporting Australian industry throughout all development stages of the innovation process; from concept exploration and technology demonstration, through to prototyping and integrating capability demonstration and evaluation,” Minister Pyne said. 

“Investing in Defence innovation will not only build the innovation capabilities of Australian industry and research organisations, it will also deliver innovative capability solutions for use by Defence.”

The Defence Innovation Hub accepts proposals on innovations at all stages, from early stage concept exploration and technology demonstration through to advanced prototypes for integration, test and evaluation. It is funded at around $640 million over the decade to 2025-26.

Industry and research organisations can continue to submit proposals through the Defence Innovation Portal.

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