Boeing Launches New Unmanned Systems Program in Australia

By Mike Ball / 01 Mar 2018

Smart Sourcing for Unmanned Systems

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Follow UST

Boeing unmanned systems development

Boeing has announced that it has launched its largest autonomous systems development program outside of the United States in Australia following a new partnership agreement with the Queensland Government. Over the next three years, the rapid innovation program will see Boeing develop next-generation autonomous systems capability in Australia to increase the independent operation of unmanned air and sea vehicles.

Chris Raymond, Boeing vice president and general manager, Autonomous Systems, said the Queensland program formed part of Boeing’s global growth strategy to accelerate game-changing autonomous technology for commercial and defence systems.

“As autonomy becomes increasingly common, Boeing will continue to pioneer autonomous technologies from seabed to space – setting a new standard for safe, successful missions that amplify human capabilities,” said Raymond.

Shane Arnott, director, Boeing’s Phantom Works International business in Australia, said, “The Queensland Government’s clear vision to invest in cutting-edge industries is backed by a progressive air space regulator, the state’s innovation culture and a talented network of local suppliers – creating an outstanding environment to innovate and experiment with autonomous vehicles and the systems and sensors that drive them.”

“Boeing will work with small-to-medium sized Queensland businesses to develop transformative ‘brain-on-board’ technology. Our program will complement the work undertaken by the Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence Cooperative Research Centre, taking research outcomes and developing them into exportable commercial products for the global autonomous market.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the investment would contribute to Queensland’s long-term economic growth, global commercial opportunities and local job creation.

“There could be no more fitting way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Boeing’s partnership with Queensland than today’s announcement,” the premier said.

“The 131 jobs that will come with this autonomous vehicles program will grow Boeing’s Queensland workforce – and these are truly jobs of the future. Boeing has a proven track record of working with innovative Queensland businesses, a relationship that supports the growth of highly skilled jobs under this new program.”

“Partnerships like this are only possible because of my government’s determination to foster new and highly skilled industries in Queensland – it’s why we have our $513 million Advance Queensland Initiative, and why last year we launched our Drone Strategy.”

Boeing’s first Advance Queensland partnership with the Queensland Government has been successful. The broad area UAS situational awareness system developed by Boeing in partnership with Queensland businesses was exported to the United States in late 2017 and successfully completed its first flight test in Mississippi on January 2018.

Posted by Mike Ball Mike Ball is our resident technical editor here at Unmanned Systems Technology. Combining his passion for teaching, advanced engineering and all things unmanned, Mike keeps a watchful eye over everything related to the unmanned technical sector. With over 10 years’ experience in the unmanned field and a degree in engineering, Mike’s been heading up our technical team here for the last 8 years. Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Most Read Articles on UST This Week

Here’s our round-up of the five most read articles on UnmannedSystemsTechnology.com this week

Apr 17, 2025
Updates on Conformal Coating & Tin Whiskers

SCS outlines updates on conformal coatings and tin whiskers, looking into the origin of tin whiskers, how to mitigate their adverse consequences with conformal coatings, and more

Apr 17, 2025
Quadratix Powers Multi-Domain UAS Operations with AI & Automation

General Atomics integrates its software expertise into Quadratix, a unified ecosystem designed to enhance multi-domain operations with AI, automation, and real-time data fusion across air, land, sea, cyber, and space, including unmanned systems

Apr 17, 2025
Integrated ROV Camera & DVR System Streamlines Visual Inspections

SubC Imaging outlines how its Rayfin SCI system simplifies underwater inspections by combining camera control and DVR functions into a single interface for ROV operators

Apr 17, 2025
ParaZero Unveils Advanced Parachute Recovery System for Critical Drone Operations

ParaZero launches the SafeAir M4, an advanced parachute recovery system designed for the DJI Matrice 4, enhancing drone safety, compliance, and mission readiness

Apr 17, 2025
The Evolution of Aurora Flight Sciences’ sUAS Platforms

Aurora Flight Sciences has spent more than ten years refining sUAS capabilities, and its evolving platforms now support a broad range of ISR missions

Apr 17, 2025

Featured Content

WarrenUAS Adds Another Top Expert in Sophisticated Unmanned Aircraft

WarrenUAS has announced a collaborative agreement with The Tactien Group, deepening its industry ties and expanding its leadership in unmanned aircraft systems training and research

Apr 15, 2025
​​​​Teledyne Marine Launches Compact Autonomous Navigation Solution at Ocean Business

Teledyne Marine has unveiled the Compact Navigator at Ocean Business 2025, an ultra-compact autonomous navigation system designed for ROVs and AUVs, optimizing size, power, and performance in a single lightweight unit

Apr 10, 2025
Greensea IQ to Present Autonomous EverClean Robot at Ocean Business 2025

Greensea IQ will introduce its hybrid EverClean Inspection Robot at Ocean Business 2025, showcasing advanced capabilities for underwater asset inspection and data collection

Apr 07, 2025
Advancing Unmanned Systems Through Strategic Collaboration UST works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive unmanned systems capabilities forward.