Page 16 - Defence Industry Guide #55

16 DEFENCE NEWS
ADM’s Defence Industry Guide 2022 | Edition 55 | www.defencesuppliers.com.au
QUEENSLAND PUTTING AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS TO THE TEST
AUSTRALIA’S contribution to global au- tonomous systems innovation is grow- ing at top speed. Australian businesses of all sizes are designing and engineer- ing technology that will revolutionise defence and adjacent industries.
The future of innovation in trusted autonomous systems depends on an ecosystem that provides the right in- frastructure, capabilities and support for each stage of the product life cycle.
That’s where the Queensland Flight Test Range (QFTR) comes in. The QFTR is Australia’s first commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) test facility and the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Queensland Government has invested $14.5 million to establish the foundation phase of the QFTR, located at Cloncurry Airport in Queensland’s north-west.
As a commercially operated, com- mon-user facility, the QFTR is avail- able for testing UAS with both civilian and military applications, providing the ideal location to test, trial and
evaluate UAS and payloads in a safe, managed environment.
As a commercially accessible alterna- tive to the RAAF Womera Range Com- plex and European and North American facilities, the QFTR provides a missing link in the development of a truly sover- eign UAS capability in Australia.
The QFTR has essential infrastruc- ture to support Beyond Visual Line of Sight flight-testing, giving users access to a 20-metre by 20-metre hangar, a 2-kilometre runway and supporting amenities.
It is managed with proven opera- tional safety systems and equipped with a Range Control System com- prising Automatic Dependent Surveil- lance Broadcast sensors and a Primary Surveillance Radar. The surrounding airspace is ‘uncontrolled’ Class G air- space with low traffic levels and large areas of unpopulated land below.
The QFTR provides an experienced team who can secure complex regula- tory approvals on behalf of users, in- cluding Specific Operations Risk As-
ABOVE: Boeing’s high-performance surrogate jets readying for take-off at Cloncurry
sessment applications and stakeholder engagement.
In addition, the team assists users to develop flight test plans and provides a tactical air surveillance and opera- tions safety oversight service.
Late 2020 saw Boeing become the QFTR’s first user, successfully flying five high-performance surrogate jets au- tonomously in a team for the first time. The ground-breaking technology and ca- pabilities proven through this particular program will provide ongoing benefits for Boeing’s future autonomous platforms.
Global defence technology company QinetiQ was appointed to design and construct the facility, establish the flight test range and manage this foun- dation stage of the facility.
Talk to QinetiQ about how the QFTR can help take your business to new heights ftr@qinetiq.com.au ■
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