iscover
In its report into the incident on 28 August 2025, the safety watchdog noted that the PA-28, VH-TKX, had neither a functioning radio nor a transponder due to a broken alternator, and was communicating with other pilots in the race via a group chat on the way to Tindal.
The experiment, known as the Dawn Aerospace Radar Tracking Experiment (DARTE), saw Dawn Aerospace operate its suborbital spaceplane Aurora from the Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre, south of Christchurch. At sea, the Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha tracked the vehicle using its onboard surveillance radar systems.
An accommodation block and medical facility were damaged by fire during the attack on 18 March, the PM said during a press conference in Tasmania.
The RNZAF crew, embedded in No. 37 Squadron, completed six flights, two domestic and four international, in support of the Australian Defence Force under their call signs to a variety of locations across Australia and the Indo-Pacific region.
More than 76 drone pilots from around the world attended two series of military first-person view (FPV) drone racing competition at Randwick Barracks earlier this month, including tactical and racing events.
The deployment sees a No. 12 Squadron RAAF Boeing P-8A Poseidon operating from Andersen Air Force Base as part of Exercise Sea Dragon 2026, a United States Navy-led training activity focused on high-end submarine detection and tracking.
PROFILES
Raising the Bar in Commercial Laundry: How Rinse & Repeat Is Redefining Service for Aviation
Raising the Bar in Commercial Laundry: How Rinse & Repeat Is Redefining Service for Aviation
UPRT Australia- Transforming Aviation’s Greatest Risk into Its Greatest Asset
UPRT Australia- Transforming Aviation’s Greatest Risk into Its Greatest Asset
