In a move that reflects activity in the US and Australia, the UK Government has announced a further £30m investment into its programme to develop an uncrewed fighter aircraft. Using the universal name of ‘loyal wingman’, the system builds on the Royal Air Force’s Lightweight Novel Combat Aircraft (LANCA) concept. The UK is aiming to have a full-scale vehicle flight test programme by the end of 2023. The uncrewed fighter aircraft is designed to target and fire on adversary aircraft and ‘survive against surface to air missiles’. The project is being developed by ‘Team Mosquito’, which is led by Spirit ...

Female-lead, Australian tech start-up Tekuma are changing the way humans interact with technology, thanks to the first round of Australian Government funding through the Boosting Female Founders Initiative. Co-founder Annette McClelland received $150,000 towards tooling and manufacturing for Tekuma’s patented control orb. Designed by her husband and co-founder Michael Griffin, the unique tactile control orb completely revolutionises remote control systems for drones, robots and other devices, providing the user with a force-based, six-degrees-of-freedom controller that can be operated with as little as two fingers. The robust system is completely portable and can be integrated into any device that needs to ...

For Glen Gallagher the decision to join the Royal Australian Air Force was inspired by his uncle who had served in the Royal Air Force (UK) flying with the Red Arrows. “My Grandfather served in World War Two and participated in Operation Dynamo,” Mr Gallagher said. “These family inspirations slowly but surely influenced my decision to pursue a career in the Air Force.” Joining the RAAF in 1991 Mr Gallagher said that for the duration of his time in the Air Force he would spend an average of more than six months every year on deployment or on operations. “It ...

Juggling a professional career with the demands that come with being the Commanding Officer of Adelaide Universities Regiment as an Army Reservist, it is easy to wonder where Ilona Horan gets her energy from. But as Director, Projects, Infrastructure and Investment at Defence SA, Ms Horan says it is her passion for being able to help people that gets her out of bed every day. “I was in the Australian Regular Army for 18 years before I transferred to Army Reserves, and for me it was the Army’s ability to make a difference and help people that attracted me,” Ms ...

With dreams of flying high above the clouds, Heidi Fourie refused to be deterred when the South African Air Force told her she could not become a pilot. Ms Fourie enlisted in the Air Force at 17 and found her ‘wings’ in other ways, determined to always face adversity and challenges head on. “I was told that I would never be a pilot because I was a woman,” Ms Fourie said. “I decided early on that ‘no’ was not a good enough reason to stop trying and even in the face of people continually telling me ‘no’, I was resolute ...

Earlier this month, the Defence SA team headed out to RAAF Base Edinburgh for a tour of the facility. Below is an account of the day by Reg Carruthers, Executive Director, Defence Industry and Space.  We acknowledge that the areas visited by the Defence SA team are on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people, and we pay our respects to their Elders, past and present. It has been quite a while since many of the team at Defence SA have visited Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Edinburgh. With much of the state’s the focus being on Naval shipbuilding ...

Growing up, Justyce Manton dreamt of being a ballerina but when that dream was shattered by injury, she quickly discovered an outer-this-world fascination with space and engineering, which transformed her life plans. The first year Adelaide University student is currently undertaking an internship at Defence SA under the mentorship of Executive Director, Defence and Space Reg Carruthers. Justyce is revelling in the chance to understand the industry better, and now has dreams of becoming the first Indigenous Australian to travel into space. “I am studying aeronautical engineering at Adelaide University and am absolutely loving it,” Justyce said. “Growing up I ...

Global testing, inspection and certification company Bureau Veritas (BV) Marine & Offshore is setting down deep roots in South Australia, strengthening ties with local universities and securing their place within the state’s shipbuilding sector.

One of the first defence industry companies to set up in Adelaide from France, PREDICT Australia, has recently celebrated their two year anniversary by reflecting on the company’s many successes since making the move down under.

Gentex Australia is making plans to grow its South Australian workforce after successfully acquiring military equipment distributor Aero Parts Australia.

Defence SA and the South Australian Space Industry Centre are tremendously proud to be a sponsor of REA's ‘in schools’ programs which include SUBS in Schools, F1 in Schools, Space in Schools & 4x4 in Schools.

Since setting up their national offices in South Australia five years ago, QinetiQ Australia has grown to build a large team of talented, local professionals who love working in the defence industry.