Revolution Aerospace Australia (RevAero) to receive delivery of RevAero HT-100

Earlier this year Revolution Aerospace (RevAero) announced the expansion of their Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based cargo delivery capability, with the procurement of the ANAVIA HT-100; lifting payloads over 55kg and with over 4 hours of endurance. Our EATP Project Director, Guy Morris, was recently in Switzerland to oversee our aircraft's first flight, prior to final acceptance and delivery to Australia.

The platform significantly enhances RevAero’s intent to transport meaningful payloads out to regional and remote communities and is a critical enabler for an 18-month program being undertaken with the support of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication, and the Arts (DITRDCA) under the Emerging Aviation Technologies Program (EATP). The project is titled ‘Regional Aerial Logistics and Air Taxi Operations with Unified Traffic Management’, where RevAero will demonstrate how the distribution of people and product can be achieved, at scale.

During the visit, the RevAero team were invited to the ANAVIA Factory in Näfels, Switzerland and witnessed the HT-100’s first flight. The aircraft was put through its paces for initial calibration, basic hovering and multiple flight manoeuvres.

Image: The RevAero livery stood proud against the backdrop of the Swiss Alpine ranges and will be at home against the Australian landscape when it lands this month.

Prior to the conduct of RevAero’s capstone activity, the RevAero HT-100 will undertake several Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights in Australia advancing RevAero’s test methodologies and building a layered safety case toward the eventual demonstration. The RevAero capstone trial includes a wide-scale demonstration in the Whitsunday region in early 2024, showcasing end-to-end delivery of cargo, incorporating a variety of drone types, delivery distances and scenarios, in complex uncontrolled airspace environments.

About RevAero

The RevAero mission of “Benefitting society through revolutionary advances in autonomous systems technologies” is firmly aligned with the purpose of the EATP program, exploring the utility of emerging aviation technologies to address community needs, particularly in regional Australia.

Revolution Aerospace (RevAero) - As the consortium lead, the collective experience of the RevAero team in the autonomous systems sector, particularly Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) and UAS Traffic Management (UTM), is fundamental to the deployment and scaling of emerging aviation technology across regional Australia. Since establishment in 2021, RevAero has a team of 20 dedicated engineers, researchers, and subject matter experts (SMEs) in autonomous systems. RevAero co-founders, Dr Terry Martin (CEO) and Mr Kristian Cruickshank (CTO) hold a wealth of experience leading and managing large-scale Emerging Aviation Technologies projects with governments and partners across the globe.

Get in touch

For further information on the project, queries can be sent to eatp@revn.aero

ANAVIA

ANAVIA, Switzerland - Is a Swiss based aviation company specializing in the design, development & manufacturing of vertical take-off & landing (VTOL) systems of up to 500 kilograms. The company offers industry leading uncrewed helicopter systems for various mission profiles such as Surveillance & Reconnaissance, Inspection or Cargo.

For further information on ANAVIA, queries can be sent to Info@anavia.eu

Revolution Aerospace Australia (RevAero) Enabling Regional Aerial Logistics and Air Taxi Operations

Media Release: 2nd August 2023

Revolution Aerospace (RevAero) was awarded a $5.3 million Round 1 – Emerging Aviation Technologies Partnership (EATP) Program grant from the Commonwealth Government, undertaking a project that seeks to Enable Regional Aerial logistics and Air Taxi Operations with Unified Traffic Management.

The project grant is designed to maximise opportunity for Australian emerging aviation technology researchers, developers, and manufacturers into the future by breaking down regulatory barriers through advanced, safe, and globally informed enabling technology – developed in Australia.

Revolution Aerospace are leading a consortium of world-recognised industry partners in the emerging aviation technologies sector; Thales Australia and the Trusted Autonomous Systems (TAS). The consortium will examine several critical enabling technologies including Detect and Avoid (DAA), Unified Traffic Management (UTM) and Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based cargo delivery.

In the first instance, RevAero is developing a Detect and Avoid (DAA) payload, in addition to drafting a Test Method guideline in partnership with TAS. Separately, RevAero is developing a UTM in partnership with Thales which incorporates a suite of centralised management services alongside integrated airspace management functionality.

Through the application of both enabling technologies, RevAero will demonstrate how the distribution of people and product, at scale, can be achieved.

The first key stage of the 18-month project saw the completion of a set of initial flight trials in May 2023, at the Qinetiq Queensland Flight Test Range in Cloncurry. These trials were conducted with the appropriate approvals from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), and stress tested many months of UA and DAA prototype development at RevAero, using a selection of RevAero’s fleet of fixed and rotary wing Vertical Take-off and Lift (VTOL) UAS.

The DAA testing employed an array of Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) encounter profiles between RevAero aircraft and a crewed helicopter, with significant improvements in the DAA system performance observed.

Whilst in Cloncurry, RevAero was proud to host the Year 11 class from Cloncurry State School during the trial, offering the class a hands-on day showcasing STEM in the workplace.

Image: Revolution Aerospace and Qinetiq teams with Cloncurry State School STEM students

RevAero will conduct a major trial in the Whitsunday’s region in the beginning of 2024, bringing together all technology elements to showcase how first, middle, and last mile operations can be successfully achieved in complex uncontrolled airspace.

About the consortium

The RevAero mission of “Benefitting society through revolutionary advances in autonomous systems technologies” is firmly aligned with the purpose of the EATP program, exploring the utility of emerging aviation technologies to address community needs, particularly in regional Australia.

More information about the key players in the project:

Revolution Aerospace (RevAero) - As the consortium lead, the collective experience of the RevAero team in the autonomous systems sector, particularly Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) and UAS Traffic Management (UTM), is fundamental to the deployment and scaling of emerging aviation technology across regional Australia. Since establishment in 2021, RevAero has a team of 20 dedicated engineers, researchers, and subject matter experts (SMEs) in autonomous systems. RevAero co-founders, Dr Terry Martin (CEO) and Mr Kristian Cruickshank (CTO) hold a wealth of experience leading and managing large-scale Emerging Aviation Technologies projects with governments and partners across the global.

Thales - Thales Australia is a trusted partner of the Australian Defence Force and is also present in commercial sectors ranging from air traffic management and ground transport systems to security systems and services. Thales Australia employs around 3,800 people directly and supports over 2,051 job along its Australian supply chain. In 2020 Thales Australia spent $657 million with 1,841 Australia suppliers, of which 82% are SMEs. Since 2018 Thales Australia has spent over $1.9 billion with local Australian businesses.

Thales Australia has a history of patient investment to build advanced in-country capability across manufacturing, critical systems and services. Close collaborative relationships with local customers, Australian SME suppliers and research institutions combined with technology transfer from our global business enables Thales to tailor high quality solutions for Australian and export markets, generating revenue of $1.6 billion in exports over the past 10 years.

Trusted Autonomous Systems- A leading autonomous and robotic cooperative research centre (CRC) in Australia facilitating trusted and effective cooperation between humans and machines.

The project will take place in the Whitsunday Coast, Melbourne and RevAero's headquarters in South-East Queensland.

For further information on the project, queries can be sent to eatp@revn.aero

Revolution Aerospace Australia (RevAero) Enabling Regional Aerial Logistics and Air Taxi Operations

Media Release 25th July 2023

Revolution Aerospace (RevAero) is proud to announce the expansion of their Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based cargo delivery capability, with the recent procurement of the Anavia HT-100; lifting payloads over 55kg and with over 4 hours of endurance. The high-tech aircraft is manufactured in Switzerland, and due to be delivered in the second half of the year.

The platform significantly enhances RevAero’s intent to transport meaningful payloads out to regional and remote communities and is a critical enabler for an 18-month program being undertaken with the support of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication, and the Arts (DITRDCA) under the Emerging Aviation Technologies Program (EATP). The project is titled ‘Regional Aerial Logistics and Air Taxi Operations with Unified Traffic Management’, where RevAero will demonstrate how the distribution of people and product can be achieved, at scale.

The capstone activity for the project is a wide-scale demonstration in the Whitsunday region in early 2024. This demonstration will showcase end-to-end delivery of cargo, incorporating a variety of drone types, delivery distances and scenarios, in complex uncontrolled airspace environments. Several complex Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) trials are being undertaken in the lead up to demonstration, advancing RevAero’s test methodologies and building a layered safety case toward the eventual Demonstration.

Dr Terry Martin, RevAero Co-Founder and CEO commented on the HT-100:

“The suite of research and flight testing we’re undertaking will undoubtedly benefit regional and remote pockets of Australia. However, I can’t emphasize enough how critical it is to choose the right technology for the task if we are to make our aspirations for wide-scale cargo delivery to regional communities a reality. And that’s why my team has put extensive effort into selecting appropriate aircraft and support equipment to get the job done, safely.

Our decision to select the ANAVIA HT-100 was driven by our confidence in both the technology ANAVIA has produced, but also the level of support they are providing to ensure we meet our operational requirements. The degree of design and systems engineering rigour, supported by quality manufacture and production processes means the platform is what we endearingly call “aviation grade”.

This will be an increasingly important attribute, as we look to conduct more advanced operations under the JARUS SORA[1]. RevAero maintains open and regular communication with our regulator, … who I have to say, have been exceptional in helping our staff navigate the regulatory approval process in areas never conducted before.”

Image: Artist’s impression of Revolution Aerospace ANAVIA HT-100, final livery to be unveiled in late 2023.

RevAero maintains a genuine commitment to strengthen the Australian Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) ecosystem. Their efforts working with manufacturers, regulatory and governmental bodies, and importantly, stakeholders in regional communities will be shared through the provision of periodic updates in the lead up to the Demonstration; to assist other organisations and ultimately help accelerate the growth of the Australian UAS ecosystem.

About RevAero

The RevAero mission of “Benefitting society through revolutionary advances in autonomous systems technologies” is firmly aligned with the purpose of the EATP program, exploring the utility of emerging aviation technologies to address community needs, particularly in regional Australia.

Revolution Aerospace (RevAero) - As the consortium lead, the collective experience of the RevAero team in the autonomous systems sector, particularly Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) and UAS Traffic Management (UTM), is fundamental to the deployment and scaling of emerging aviation technology across regional Australia. Since establishment in 2021, RevAero has a team of 20 dedicated engineers, researchers, and subject matter experts (SMEs) in autonomous systems. RevAero co-founders, Dr Terry Martin (CEO) and Mr Kristian Cruickshank (CTO) hold a wealth of experience leading and managing large-scale Emerging Aviation Technologies projects with governments and partners across the globe.

Get in touch

For further information on the project, queries can be sent to eatp@revn.aero

References [1] The Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems Specific Operations Risk Assessment.

ANAVIA

ANAVIA, Switzerland - Is a Swiss based aviation company specializing in the design, development & manufacturing of vertical take-off & landing (VTOL) systems of up to 500 kilograms. The company offers industry leading uncrewed helicopter systems for various mission profiles such as Surveillance & Reconnaissance, Inspection or Cargo.

For further information on ANAVIA, queries can be sent to Info@anavia.eu