Sypaq contracted to develop small UAS for Australian Navy.

The Australian defence ministry has awarded Melbourne-based Sypaq an A$3.5 million contract to develop an unmanned aerial system with potential future applications for the Royal Australian Navy.

JUMP 20 could be a potential base for the RAN UAS (Picture source: Sypaq)

Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Melissa Price MP, announced the Defence Innovation Hub contract with Sypaq Systems at PACIFIC 2019 in Sydney.

Sypaq will develop a small Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) with a hybrid power delivery system and the capacity to operate effectively in harsh environmental conditions, such as those that can be experienced at sea.

Minister Price congratulated Sypaq on their innovative solution and said the technology would enhance situational awareness for maritime operations. “If successful, this UAS would be capable of operating from ships at sea and performing a range of surveillance and reconnaissance operations,” she said. “Sypaq Systems, an engineering and systems integration company, is an example of an Australian business that is exploring leading technology to help the Australian Defence Force meet its current and future challenges. “Through the Defence Innovation Hub, we are investing approximately $640 million in Australian industry to develop innovative technology with a Defence application".

A JUMP 20 VTOL UAS deployed with the Mexican Navy in 2016. Back then, the company said it proposed a heavy fuel version of the T-20 JUMP for the Royal Australian Navy’s tactical unmanned aircraft program.