October 29, 2025

 

(DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY IS PICKING UP THE PACE IN AUSTRALIA)

 

October 29, 2025

 

Hello everyone

 

INFLATION A DRAG IN AUSTRALIA

Inflation has eaten the Melbourne Cup luncheon; the latest data shows a surge in inflation in Australia – to 3.2% – it’s the highest in over a year. 3.0% was forecast.   A black cloud now looms over any rate cut in November and basically shows a 0% chance that any cut will happen.

 

AUTONOMOUS DEFENCE IS THE FUTURE IN AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE

Australia has the potential to be a superpower in drone and autonomous weaponry if investment becomes a priority. 

We are now participating on the global stage when it comes to our cutting-edge military technology. 

NATO allies have already placed orders.  Made in Canberra, Star Wars-style counter-drone lasers will be crucial on the battlefields in Ukraine.

An unmanned fighter jet called the Ghost Bat has been designed and built in Australia.

 

 

And a Sydney factory is producing Ghost Shark submarines, which will be a nimble accompaniment to the $368 billion Aukus nuclear submarine project.

A company called Anduril Australia has won a $1.7 billion contract to build the long-range underwater vessels at a site in Alexandria, Sydney.  The threat posed by China is influencing the investment in weaponry. 

Drones are redefining how we fight wars.

The Apollo Laser System, developed in Canberra, can fire as many as 20 rounds a minute at drones, for as little as $1 per shot.

We have gone from trench warfare in World War I to drone warfare in the 21^st century – a technology that has the potential to be a game-changer in conflicts.

Sypaq, an Australian company based in Victoria, has won a contract with the Australian Army to supply its Convo X drones, many of which have already been used in Ukraine.   The drones, which cost around $1000, have been used to attack Russian Mg-29 and Su-30 fighter jets.

The Australian government has increased its defense spending this year, with an additional $70 billion being delivered over the next decade.

$55 billion for the Navy’s combatant fleet,

$10 billion for drone and counter-drone technology

$16 billion + for domestic missile manufacturing

Australia has been slow in teaching and adopting new technologies; thinking about it, the future will leave Australia at a disadvantage.  The defense spending is a good start, but we need to do more, particularly where AI skills training is concerned.  The AI revolution will not wait for us to act; we must stop talking about it and get into gear if we want to be competitive on the world stage.

 

QUEENSLAND AND HYPERSONIC JET TRAVEL

Brisbane-based Hypersonix Launch Systems is building reusable scramjet engines and 3D-printed hypersonic platforms that can travel at more than six times the speed of sound, with its world-first SPARTAN scramjet engine already securing major defense development contracts from the US.

The technology was developed by Dr Michael Smart, co-founder of Hypersonix, former Chair of Hypersonic Propulsion at the University of Queensland, and former NASA research scientist.

Smart points out that this is a “breakthrough technology which allows Australia and its allies to fly faster, further and more often with an unmatched combination of speed, sustainability and cost advantage.”

 

 

 

 

Cheers

Jacquie