Romar Collaboration Wins Federal Government Grant for World-First UAV Aerospace Manufacturing Project

A collaboration between Hypersonix Launch Systems, the University of Southern Queensland, LSM Advanced Composites (LSM) and Romar Engineering has been recognised with a $2.95 million Federal Government grant to develop a world-first reusable hypersonic UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) project.

The Cooperative Research Centres Projects (‘CRC-P’) grant will fund the project – ‘DART CMP Airframe – a reusable hypersonic platform’ – to develop a UAV that can travel at hypersonic speeds up to Mach 12 (twelve times the speed of sound).

It is powered by the SPARTAN hydrogen fuelled scramjet engine.

Romar will provide additive manufacturing for the project.

About DART CMP

Hypersonix Managing Director David Waterhouse said DART CMP is the composite version of the DART AE due for launch in 2023. Project deliverables include a complete UAV airframe, including composite aeroshell and aerodynamic control surfaces, flight avionics and hydrogen fuel system.

“AE stands for Additive Engineering and is the fully 3D printed version out of high temperature alloys that are already available in Australia,” Mr Waterhouse said.

“The type of high temperature composites we require for DART CMP are currently not available here, therefore there is an urgent need to develop these materials in Australia.

We are thankful that the government acknowledged this gap and responded by accepting our application. We can’t wait to have these materials ready in mid-2025.”

A leader in aerospace manufacturing

The CRC-P grant is further recognition for Romar’s additive manufacturing and aerospace manufacturing capability.

It adds to our winning $5.8 million MMI grant to grow our Australian designed fluid and motion control solutions, which we are using to expand our world-class advanced manufacturing team.

Please read the full Hypersonix Launch Systems press release here, and contact us to discuss your additive or aerospace manufacturing project. Read more aerospace manufacturing articles.

Ready to Step into the Future of Manufacturing?

Contact Romar today to start the conversation.

    Design for Manufacture (DFM)Metal Additive ManufacturingPolymer Additive ManufacturingEngineering ConsultationManufacturing AnalysisISO 13485 Cleanroom MoldingInjection MoldingCompression/Transfer MoldingTool Design and ManufactureRapid PrototypeCNC MachiningCMM Precision InspectionCleanroom AssemblyOther (Please Specify)

    Advanced Manufacturing News & Articles

    Romar’s contract manufacturing model

    Romar’s contract manufacturing model creates significant advantages for aerospace companies looking for a component manufacturer with specialist engineers to collaborate for scalable solutions.

    Medical Silicone for a Happy Sleep

    Medical silicone for a happy sleep. Romar’s expertise with medical devices ensures an anti-snoring mouthpiece becomes a commercial product. The Happy Sleep anti-snoring mouthpiece is helping thousands of people rest easy.

    Machine with operator

    Modern Manufacturing for All Sectors

    Romar’s approach to modern manufacturing for all sectors is why we remain a market leader in high quality and scalable manufacturing for Australian and international customers.

    Ready to Step into the Future of Manufacturing?

    Contact Romar today to start the conversation.

      Design for Manufacture (DFM)Metal Additive ManufacturingPolymer Additive ManufacturingEngineering ConsultationManufacturing AnalysisISO 13485 Cleanroom MoldingInjection MoldingCompression/Transfer MoldingTool Design and ManufactureRapid PrototypeCNC MachiningCMM Precision InspectionCleanroom AssemblyOther (Please Specify)