Government funding announced to develop solar fixed-wing drone

“This is an exciting opportunity for Li-S Energy, working with our partners V-TOL Aerospace and Halocell, to demonstrate how our advanced, lightweight lithium sulfur and lithium metal batteries can extend UAV flight times and mission capability,” Li-S Energy chief executive officer Lee Finniear said.

V-TOL believes the project will directly contribute to the advancement of long-range and long-duration beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) capabilities, especially for ISR and survey markets

V-TOL Aerospace managing director Mark Xavier said the grant was a major success of foresight from the Commonwealth that will open the doors to a wide range of possibilities in drone technologies.

“Winning this grant is a significant acknowledgement by government that the work V-TOL, Li-S Energy, and Halocell are conducting is of national importance,” he said.

“This exciting opportunity will enable our sovereign technology collaboration to design, develop, and manufacture a family of world-leading energy sustainable drones.”

Earlier this year, defence industry companies supplied their best new-generation drone prototypes for demonstration as part of a strategic capabilities accelerator challenge in April.

VIEW ALL

Aerial drones developed by Australian companies were showcased as part of a federal government initiative aimed at supporting innovation and delivering capabilities for the Australian Defence Force.

Drones were assessed on their ability for rapid production at scale and potential use by Defence and the Commonwealth.

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.