Babcock and PteroDynamics sign MOU to explore UAS opportunities in Australia and New Zealand
9 Dec 2024
Leading defence prime and aviation specialist Babcock Australasia (Babcock) and US-based autonomous aircraft pioneer PteroDynamics Inc. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore opportunities for unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
The two companies will come together to pursue greater autonomous capability within Babcock’s current and future defence and civil contracts across Australia and New Zealand.
PteroDynamics is an innovator in the design and manufacture of autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft systems, including its patented Transwing® UAS.
The revolutionary Transwing marries the speed, range, and endurance of a fixed-wing aircraft with superior VTOL performance. Its foldable wings transition it seamlessly between vertical and winged horizontal flight and requires no launch and recovery infrastructure. Its ground footprint is also up to a third less than other VTOL aircraft of comparable wingspan.
The Transwing’s unique capabilities make it ideal for automating time-sensitive delivery of critical high-value payloads to hard-to-reach locations with no runways and in austere conditions, including maritime logistics support and reconnaissance and surveillance.
This was showcased during the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in July, where multiple Transwing UAS demonstrated ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore logistics and maritime resupply missions from the deck of a US Navy guided-missile destroyer. RIMPAC involved 40 surface ships, three submarines, 150 aircraft, 14 national land forces, and more than 25,000 personnel from 29 countries including Australia.
Babcock and PteroDynamics will now collaborate on a series of initiatives to introduce PteroDynamics’ next-generation UAS to the Australasian market. The collaboration will also focus on the delivery of training for Babcock teams to provide in-country support of future contracts.
Source: Babcock media