Sydney eVTOL manufacturer AMSL Aero is helping the ADF expand Australia's defence capability.
Bankstown-based AMSL Aero has recently completed a $2.2 million contract to supply 100 drones to the Australian Defence Force for evaluation, which has led the company to land a second order for an undisclosed number of units, and opened opportunities for a deeper involvement in future defence systems.
AMSL's flagship platform is the Vertiia eVTOL, which is designed as a hydrogen-electric powered aircraft aimed at long-range heavy-lift missions such as aeromedical, cargo and passenger operations.
However, it was their capability scale of the Vertiia design that brought them to the attention of the ADF through the Defence Innovation Hub.
"As a result of our success with Vertiia, last year we were invited by the Australian Strategic Capabilities Accelerator [ASCA] to get involved in a 2 kg drone development program, and within a couple weeks we produced a drone that participated in a fly-off with over 100 different drones," says AMSL CEO Dr Adriano Di Pietro.
"This included the design, prototype manufacture and initial flight testing of Astiia – a truly impressive demonstration of sovereign innovation and technical know-how.
The ADF selected three companies including AMSL Aero, which then moved into a contract and within six months turned the prototype into a production-ready platform. One hundred Astiias have since been delivered to the ADF.
"We were able to do that because the genesis of Vertiia was subscale prototype drones of various sizes to do our early-stage testing," Di Pietro explains. "Indeed, sub-scale models are an integral part of our rapid protype development and testing DNA at AMSL Aero.
"What evolved though was something unique. Our drones follow the box wing design of the Vertiia aircraft, so each drone actually has two wings, which allows it to fly faster and more efficiently than a standard quadcopter.
"It offers both highly efficient cruise to target area and the ability to hover and hold when required.”
"The Australian government will be looking for applications for UAS, but with a lot of assurance and reliability about how it operates. It has fast-tracked thinking, and the challenge right now is how do we change procurement rules in Australia to enable a new paradigm about how to buy."
But AMSL sees even greater potential that just drones. Vertiia will, when fully operational, have a top speed of 300 km/h, a range of 1,000 km and a projected payload of 500 kg.
Di Pietro believes a defence version of the eVTOL could have a myriad of applications for the ADF.
"Defence has never operated an aircraft of this type before," he points out. "They operate trucks, helicopters and aeroplanes, but something like this is a bit different. Before they buy a platform, they like to work out how they might use it.
"We're looking for a contract in how they might use drones in operational trials and experimentation to inform the operational model on how it would actually be employed.
"We've had very strong interest through the latest innovation model and ASCA is being quite proactive in trying to promote our capability and finding the right landing pad within defence capability."
Di Pietro told ADM that Australian technological and industrial skill could have an enabling impact on helping the ADF adopt new defence capabilities, especially as the potential of drones is being realised through the Russo-Ukranian war.
" What is really interesting is that need is not a static target and development should never stop for us to retain a technological advantage,” he said.
"What a company like AMSL Aero can do is help keep pace with those changes and lead in offering solutions as needs emerge. It’s about sovereign agility in service of our defence force and its personnel.
"As a company employing veterans, this means a great deal to us.”