Stephen Kuper

The flight is scheduled for no earlier than late February, launching aboard Rocket Lab’s “That’s Not A Knife” mission from Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, operated by the Virginia Spaceport Authority. Final launch timing will be confirmed within 24 hours of the window opening.

A new industry advisory panel has been established to support Defence and other Australian government agencies with counter small uncrewed aerial systems services.

The new aviation training academy, funded by the Australian government and delivered by Aviation Australia in Townsville, is set to play a key role in building Australia’s future Defence workforce, with the first cohort of 35 maintenance engineer trainees having begun their apprenticeships on Monday, 19 January.

The six-person MTT-C team is embedded with PNGDF counterparts on three-month rotations, three times a year. Their focus spans training, flight operations, aircraft maintenance, logistics and personnel management, areas critical to building a capable and self-reliant air force in the near region.

The agreement sets out a formal framework for closer co-operation, improved information sharing and clearer alignment between spaceflight and air navigation rules – a move officials have said will build industry confidence as Australia’s space sector continues to expand.

Lockheed Martin’s famed Skunk Works division, working alongside industry partners and the United States Air Force, has successfully demonstrated the ability for a pilot of a fifth-generation fighter jet to control an unmanned aircraft while in flight.