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2023-04-01

Record Turnout Makes Avalon Airshow a High-Level Success

The Avalon 2023 Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition turned out to be a massive success breaking attendance records across the board. Between March 3 and 5, Victoria’s Avalon Airport rang to the thunder of jets, the clatter and roar of aerobatic and vintage aircraft and a host of family fun at Airshow 2023.

The Royal Australian Air Force’s most sophisticated fast jets such as the F-35 Lightning II and EA-18G Growler shared the tarmac with everything from the United States Air Force F-22A Raptor to aircraft that were built by their own pilots.

From helicopters to business jets, vintage, warbird and classic, Airshow 2023 was home to around 300 aircraft. They were joined by ground displays of the heralds of the next generation, such as an electric training aircraft, a personal flying car, and a company that was in talks with Australian regional airlines about converting their existing aircraft to electric power.

Crowd favourites such as the Skycats Wing Walkers, electrifying aerobatics from Paul Bennett, Matt Hall and Awesome Aviation and the Super Salto jet glider wowed the crowd alongside the famous Skydive Australia Meteor Men parachutists.

All three days featured a showcase of Australian Defence Force aviation. The Royal Australian Navy’s MH-60R Romeo helicopter was joined by Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornets, F-35A Lightning IIs, a KC-30 aerial refuelling tanker, the world leading E-7 Wedgetail airborne warning and control aircraft, the P-8 Poseidon antisubmarine warfare aircraft and C-130J and C-17 transports.

Number Power

With 48,516 attendances across the three full trade days, Avalon 2023 was 24 per cent larger than the 2019 industry event. This is in addition to a 14 per cent increase in the number of participating companies, to 798.

Official delegations too were up more than 50 per cent from 2019, at 234.

But it’s about more than the numbers, according to Justin Giddings, CEO of Avalon 2023 organiser AMDA Foundation. “From the first minute of this edition of Avalon, there was dynamism in the exhibition halls and the sense that a lot of people were having some very productive conversations,” he said. “That was backed up by the number of announcements from companies and the feedback from the many exhibitors.”

Award for Black Eagles

The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) Black Eagles display team finished the week of Avalon 2023 on a high, after being awarded the CEO’s Trophy for Best Overall Display at the event.

The presentation was made at the Concours d’Elegance awards night, held onsite at each Avalon event.

The awards are designed to acknowledge and celebrate the best in class in 20 categories including the coveted Chief of Air Force’s Perpetual Trophy — Best Overall Military Aircraft, as well as speciality groups like Best Helicopter, Best Classic Aircraft, Best Homebuilt, Best Association Display and many more.

The Black Eagles were crowd favourites throughout the week of Avalon for their spirited displays and friendly engagement with fans both young and old and were seen celebrating after their win at the presentation ceremony.

American Flavour

The morning of Day One saw the official opening of the USA Partnership Pavilion, by United States Ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy.

With 86 companies from 17 U.S. States, the opening highlighted the enduring relationship between the industries of the United States and Australia.

“It was an honour to have the United States Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy open this important pavilion,” said Justin Giddings.

The U.S. flavour continued with a stirring flying display by the United States Air Force Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor as part of the lunchtime airshow. The Australian Defence Force Showcase display also reinforced the strong relationship between the United States and Australia.

1MILLIKELVIN Wins

In a first for the Avalon Innovation Awards, presented on the first day of the event, both the National and the Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) Innovation Awards were won by the same company.

Melbourne-based 1MILLIKELVIN Pty Limited was named winner of both the National Innovation Award and SME Innovation Award.

1MILLIKELVIN won the awards for its world-leading work developing a stress imaging camera system which provides a full-colour representation of the stress on a mechanical structure under loads, such as the airframes of crewed and uncrewed aircraft and helicopters.

The cameras work on the principle that a solid will heat up when compressed and cool down when stretched and to see stress requires a camera that can resolve temperature changes down to one thousandth of a degree Celsius or one millikelvin.

“We are thrilled to be recognised for our hard work,” said Kheang Khauv, Managing Director of 1MILLIKELVIN.

The Young Innovator Award was presented to BAE Systems Australia Melbourne engineer, Callum Rohweder, for his work on developing the core guidance, navigation and control algorithms at the heart of the Australian-developed Vehicle Management System (VMS) for Boeing MQ-28A Ghost Bat uncrewed aerial vehicle.

This year, for the first time, the winners of the SME Innovation Award and Young Innovator Award were presented with a cheque for $50,000 each. These monetary Awards, funded by AMDA Foundation Limited, are meant to be life-changing, especially for the winner of the Young Innovator Award.

“A sum like $50,000 can lever as much again in grants and project funding to help a project across the so-called ‘valley of death’ and turn a smart idea into a proven reality,” said Justin Giddings.

Embraer’s TechLion Roars

Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer returned to the show, bringing three aircraft including its Phenom 100 and 300 business jets and offering Australia its first view of the new E195-E2 TechLion regional aircraft.

Embraer returned on a high, with its Phenom 300E series business jet announced as the world’s best-selling light jet for the 11th consecutive year.

Embraer has more than 11 business jets and over 40 E-Jets operating in the country, mainly with Alliance Airlines, Airnorth, National Jet Express and Pionair. Several of Alliance Airlines’ E-Jets operate on selected QantasLink routes.

The new, enhanced Phenom 300E is capable of reaching Mach 0.80, becoming the fastest single-pilot jet in production, and is able to deliver a high-speed cruise of 464 knots and a five-occupant range of 2,010 nautical miles (3,724 km) with NBAA IFR reserves.

Embraer promoted the E195-E2 TechLion as the world’s most efficient single-aisle aircraft.

With a capacity of up to 146 passengers, the E195-E2 is part of the latest E2 family that is shaping the regional market with its sustainable technologies and optimal range.

In July 2022, Embraer and Pratt & Whitney successfully tested an E195-E2 aircraft on 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). With 100 per cent SAF, the 25 per cent reduction in emissions can be increased up to an impressive 85 per cent.

Sikorsky Centenary

Helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, celebrated its centenary as a company alongside Australian Defence and industry partners at the Airshow.

Sikorsky President Paul Lemmo stated: “The year 2023 is momentous for Sikorsky as we celebrate our 100th anniversary. All of our capabilities are the result of an incredible culture of innovation that started with our founder Igor Sikorsky.”

Lemmo highlighted the first Sikorsky aircraft to enter Australian Defence Force service, an S-51 Dragonfly assigned to the Royal Australian Air Force in 1947. From there, Sikorsky’s relationship with Australia was cemented, and carries on with the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) growing fleet of MH-60R Seahawk helicopters.

In addition to the MH-60R, more medium-lift capability is set to arrive this year as the Australian and U.S. Governments recently finalised a foreign military sales deal for Australia to acquire 40 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk aircraft.

Defence State Show

A record 54 local defence and space organisations participated in this year’s South Australia – The Defence State stand.

A powerful show of South Australian defence and space innovation and expertise was on display, showcasing the state’s leading capabilities across information warfare, aerospace and advanced manufacturing.

A record 54 local defence and space organisations took part. Local SMEs were joined by the state’s three universities and the Defence Innovation Partnership — the South Australian Government’s catalyst for defence-relevant research.

South Australia provides critical support to Australia’s aerospace programmes, with the Edinburgh Defence Precinct fast establishing as the Australian Defence Force’s operational hub for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and electronic warfare.

ISR Sensor

An Australian-made Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) sensor system launched at the Airshow is set to revolutionise situational awareness from drones and manned aircraft.

The Hyperspectral Optical Radar (HSOR) is a real time autonomous wide-area hyperspectral sensor delivering data for critical decision-making in both challenging or contested environments.

According to the technology’s Melbourne-based developer, ARKEUS, the sensor slashes current exploitation time for hyperspectral imagery from days or hours to mere seconds.

“We understand that speed is critical, and no existing system comes close to this level of responsiveness; the HSOR offers significant capability enhancement for security, stability and sovereignty objectives,” said ARKEUS chief executive officer Simon Olsen.

HSOR surveillance capabilities are unprecedented. The technology is optimised for aircraft or drones conducting a wide variety of missions over land, sea or littoral environments including maritime domain awareness, ISR, border protection, city size surveillance and reconnaissance, force protection, counter terrorism, illegal activity monitoring or search and rescue.

Thales-SUT MoU

Thales Australia and Swinburne University of Technology’s (SUT) Aerostructures Innovation Research Hub (AIR Hub) entered a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the development of new operational models to support evolving aviation concepts including Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) for next generation aerostructures.

The MoU will expand Thales’ existing partnership with Swinburne University of Technology, to advance research and development opportunities that will focus on Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) to support regional cargo delivery and critical infrastructure inspections, Urban Air Mobility including Electrical Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL), Concept of Operations for urban vertiports, and the integration of concepts of operation for traditional Air Traffic Management (ATM) and new concepts of operation for Unmanned Air Traffic Management (UTM).

The MoU will also research and develop how ATM systems need to tailor their approach to integrate UTM, while ensuring compatibility and interoperability.

Wireless Wonder

Australian company Control Synergy arrived with a range of rugged wireless and computing systems for Australian networks.

Control Synergy imports specialty wireless technologies such as data radios and band pass filters, and rugged vehicle mount computers and tablets for field personnel.

With customers such as BAE Systems, Qinetiq, Marathon Targets and Daronmont Technologies, the company has a solid track record in the Australian defence industry.

Control Synergy’s range at Avalon included UAV antennas and a super light man portable UHF Satcom antenna that folds down in to a small bag for easy transport.

Career Path

More than 600 secondary students from around Australia participated in the Aviation Learning Paths programme, sponsored by Aviation Australia.

Students saw presentations from aviation industry leaders Qantas, BAE, Boeing and Lockheed Martin as well as RMIT and Defence Force Recruiting before touring the event site for some career inspiration.

The Exhibition Halls saw a transformation from industry focused displays to career pathways, STEM and recruitment activities that students and children both young and old could enjoy.

Solar UAV

Drone manufacturer XSun Australia brought its solar-powered uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) for static display.

The company designs and manufactures autonomous and energy independent UAVs with flight time of up to approximately 12 hours, and a range of up to 600km.

Dubbed SolarXOne, the UAV has a payload capacity of 5kg, allowing an extensive range of sensors to be installed, depending on the application.

The XSun UAV solution is designed to undertake automated missions in areas such as environment and civil safety, infrastructure and utilities networks mapping, law enforcement and military surveillance.

Director of XSun Australia Pty. Ltd, Luc Van Hoorick, said Australia’s sunny climate was the ideal power source for its solar UAV. “How about using that energy, and using it to power a UAV that could fly for an entire day,” he noted.

“In 2017, XSun’s aerospace engineers achieved that goal by building a dual-wing aircraft using state-of–the-art technology in 3D aerodynamic design, and solar-powered systems. It is silent, sleek, and it can go further than any other UAV in its class, allowing its payload to be air-mobilised safely thanks to redundant navigation computers, sat-com back-up, and a parachute.”

Iconic Poster

What began as a simple idea became a popular momento for many Avalon 2023 visitors, as an Australian artist created an old-style poster for the event.

When military artist Domenic Bartolo presented his concept for an Avalon 2023 poster, AMDA Foundation staff were so impressed that it was adopted as the design for momentos of the event.

The original poster was repurposed as framed prints for special guests and VIPs as thanks for attending.

The poster has appeared at official functions and in pride of place in the Chairman’s Suite on the flight line.

New Airshow

Australian International Airshow organiser AMDA Foundation Limited will become the new operator of the Wings Over Illawarra Airshow from 2024, after signing a 10-year licence agreement with Shellharbour City Council.

Retaining the Shellharbour Airport location south of Wollongong in New South Wales, AMDA Foundation will rename the event Airshows Downunder Shellharbour and present a three-day airshow every two years, with the first event to take place March 1-3, 2024.

In keeping with its mission to promote Australian aviation and industry, AMDA will expand the event for the general public and develop greater industry involvement.

Looking Forward

The Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition came to Victoria in 1992 at the invitation of then premier Jeff Kennett who was keen to establish a technology-based event that would attract key industry and defence representatives and tourists alike. The event has since become a major world attraction.

What added spice to Avalon 2023 was the variety of activities. The General Aviation and Airsport precinct included up to 150 private vintage, classic and modern light aircraft, with visitors being invited to pick up a tool and help build a real plane. More than 30 aviation organisations also displayed a cross section of aviation activities, including seaplanes, gliding, ballooning, museums and aircraft restoration, women in flight, safety and aviation careers.

In Justin Giddings’ words: “The most pleasing thing was the sense of optimism from industry and the desire to engage. Avalon was created to be a meeting hub, a catalyst for the sort of engagement that creates partnerships and ideas. Avalon 2023 gave a feeling like industry had direction and opportunities to pursue, that Australian companies were starting to feel like it was worth stepping forward and investing in capability.”

The next Avalon Airshow is scheduled to be held from March 25 to 30, 2025 .

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