Innovaero wins counter-drone development contract

Perth-based aeronautical engineering company Innovaero has been awarded a Technology Demonstration contract by the Australian Army to develop its OWL-X expendable counter-drone system.

Perth-based company Innovaero has been awarded a contract to develop its OWL-X expendable counter-drone system.

Perth-based aeronautical engineering company Innovaero has been awarded a Technology Demonstration contract by the Australian Army to develop its OWL-X expendable counter-drone system.

The contract is to develop what Army terms a Counter-RAS capability that is designed to handle aerial, ground, littoral and riverine drones.

Innovaero’s contract, which is expected to run for about 14 months, was awarded following Army Innovation Day 2023, a collaborative effort between Defence’s new Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) and Army’s Robotic and Autonomous Systems Implementation and Coordination Office, or RICO.

The 2023 Army Innovation Day challenged industry to tackle Robotic and Autonomous System (RAS) challenges and Innovaero put forward its OWL-X Uncrewed Air System (UAS). This is a canister-launched semi-autonomous UAS with pop-out wings. It’s powered by a tiny turbojet, has a maximum speed of 500km/h and is intended to destroy or disable any unscrewed vehicle that flies, crawls or swims on the sea surface. It can also tackle crewed armed helicopters, The Australian understands.

The contract announcement came just a few days after the Army said it would acquire US-made AeroVironment Switchblade 300 loitering munitions in a contract of undisclosed value. Innovaero’s contract is also of undisclosed value.

“Robotic Autonomous Systems, particularly drones, loitering munitions and armed sea drones have had an enormous impact in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict,” says Innovaero CEO Marcus Colman. “There is a clear imperative to develop affordable solutions to counter these relatively low-cost yet effective RAS threats.”

The Red Sea campaign by Houthi separatists in Yemen has up-ended the economics of naval warfare: a very cheap attack drone deployed by relatively unsophisticated insurgents can sap a navy’s strength by forcing it to use multimillion-dollar missiles to protect ships.

The day/night, all-weather OWL-X’s high speed, long range, firepower and intelligent optical terminal guidance will enable it to destroy or degrade drones, loitering munitions, ground vehicles and small boats, says the company.

The OWL-X UAS is based on Innovaero’s OWL (One-Way Loitering) munition which was a contender to equip the Australian Army. It is a 30kg UAS with a battery-powered electric motor, a 200km range, a long-range datalink for over-the-horizon control and targeting and an optical sensor to spot targets. The OWL uses the same pneumatic launcher and ground control station as the Army’s Insitu Integrator UAS.

The OWL-X is a disruptive solution that would significantly enhance an army’s capabilities, says Colman. “So-called drone warfare is rapidly reshaping the battlefield, so this innovation initiative is an important investment in sovereign Australian technology.”

Innovaero is part-owned by BAE Systems Australia and specialises in loitering munitions and tactical UASs. Its workforce has a high proportion of qualified aerospace engineers and the company has the certifications and qualifications to build large and small UASs. At last year’s Avalon air show it announced it had designed and would build the STRIX armed and reconnaissance UAS, with a payload of 160kg and a range of 800km, for BAE Systems Australia.