Innovaero is pleased to announce it has been selected as a finalist in the Defence Connect Australian Defence Industry Awards 2026 in the category of Guided Weapons & Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Program of the Year. The recognition follows the team’s progress certifying its OWL-B precision loitering munition for the ADF under Mission Talon Strike, an Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) mission. The winners will be announced on 16 July 2026 at a ceremony in Canberra, and Innovaero looks forward to celebrating alongside the fellow finalists also recognised this year.
The Perth-based aeronautical engineering company has upgraded its OWL B precision loitering munition with new guidance capabilities, as well as unveiling the first test demonstrator of the OWL X variant. Innovaero has also introduced the OWL A, a mid-weight variant which incorporates a 1.5kg warhead, a capability to travel 45km and a full suite of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. The OWL family underscored the Company’s commitment to establishing a world class, sovereign guided weapons capability based in Western Australia.
The OWL B system development aligns with the Commonwealth’s push for greater sovereign guided weapons and explosive ordnance capabilities and reduced reliance on foreign military technologies. OWL B has been the focus of an exhaustive series of live fire tests overseen by the Company, Commonwealth agencies and the Australian Army, where the system completed successful flight tests and payload integration. The progress with OWL B exemplifies the potential of Australian innovation in the defence sector. The company’s work on upgrading OWL B underscores its commitment to enhancing Australia’s defence capabilities through innovative, sovereign solutions.
Innovaero designs, certifies, manufactures and supports affordable expendable/attritable complex weapons, based on (winged) UAS/drones and aeronautical systems for defence and specialist aerospace applications. The company are a sovereign Australian aeronautical and defence original equipment manufacturer (OEM) based in Perth, Western Australia, with end-to-end capability spanning design, engineering, manufacturing, certification and in-service support. The company develops sovereign autonomous and precision mass capabilities, including the OWL family of loitering munitions, aligned to Australia’s defence priorities around resilience, rapid capability delivery and operational scale. Innovaero also delivers CASA-certified aerospace engineering, aerial imaging systems and specialist aviation systems for Australian and international customers, with work accepted by CASA and the FAA.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/innov-aero_innovaeros-owl-b-in-action-australias-activity-7478274488397131776-5fkX?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAADdN-_sB-ncOsToAijbQR8XGh1RT-Pl37po
