Australian drone manufacturer Carbonix has signed a new $2.3 million contract with Quickstep that will see the company triple its drone production over the next year.
Under the 12 month contract, Quickstep will manufacture 40 of Carbonix’s latest long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The UAV is the next successor to Carbonix's 'Domani' UAV and 'optimised for linear asset inspections'.
According to Carbonix, the latest UAV features wings with advanced aerodynamics, increased payload capacity and an aviation-standard twin cylinder engine for propulsion in horizontal flight, allowing for steep climb rates to follow power lines in low density-altitude (hot and high) conditions.
Carbonix CEO Philip van der Burg said Quickstep’s manufacturing processes and quality management systems deliver 'high levels of quality assurance' while allowing the company to scale production to meet local and overseas demand.
"We understand the critical role that quality assurance plays in delivering the highest level of performance to our customers. That's why we're thrilled to partner with a company that shares our commitment to excellence, and whose advanced processes and quality management systems will help us raise the bar even higher,” he said.
Quickstep Managing Director Mark Burgess said the company anticipated demand for the aircraft to significantly exceed initial production volumes.
“Our engineering-led industrial solutions have great traction with drone companies and we are delighted to be supporting Carbonix as they increase their market penetration in Australia and the USA,” he said.
Quickstep manufactures high complexity composite components for aircraft such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, C-130J, F/A-18 and F-15E.
The deal is the second stage of a broader manufacturing partnership, announced late last year, which will eventually see Quickstep manufacture all Carbonix drones.
Quickstep began manufacturing Volantis, Carbonix’s smallest all electric fixed-wing VTOL UAV drones, earlier in the year allowing Carbonix to fulfill an order from Anduril, the US defence tech startup that recently won a US$1 billion counter-drone contract from the US Special Operations Command.