Black Sky Aerospace Pushing Ambitious Paced Programme
With more than a passing nod to the lessons being learned from the Ukraine conflict as partial motivation, Black Sky Aerospace – Australia’s only sovereign manufacturer of solid rocket fuel – recently announced it has begun testing a missile launch pod as part of a project aimed at developing an indigenous missile capability.
The company tested rockets earlier in the year as an initial stage in the project, and is now seeking to integrate a guidance system to push forward the development of a ‘guided weapon and explosive ordnance’ (GWEO) capability. Some funding has been made available under the Commercialisation Fund managed by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC).
Part of the thinking behind the initiative, apparently, has been observing the need for a lightweight, mobile missile system capable of prosecuting multiple missions in the Ukraine theatre of operations. The current testing regime, centred on a first-generation launch pod, is informing development of what promises to be a rapid and innovative programme. The current expectation is to have a guided system at TRL 7 or higher within months of being granted regulatory clearance to test fire at range.