A Brisbane startup developing hydrogen-powered aircraft engines and hypersonic Unmanned Aerial Vehicles has raised $46 million in a Series A as NASA prepares to test its 3D-printed ideas.
The round for Hypersonix Launch Systems was led by UK national security investor High Tor Capital, with support from European defence company Saab and Polish family office RKKVC, as well as the federal government’s National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC), which chipped in $10 million for its first defence sector investment, plus the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC). It values the defence startup at $141 million.
Hypersonix was founded in 2019 by Michael Smart and David Waterhouse. Dr Smart, the CTO is a former NASA research scientist and chair of hypersonic propulsion at University of Queensland. Former federal science minister Arthur Sinodinos chairs the board.
Their goal is a new class of sustainable, high-performance flight systems for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) powered by hydrogen, replacing kerosene in a 3D-printed, reusable scramjet engine, called Spartan. It has no moving parts and has the potential to hit Mach 12 – 14,818 km/h.
Dr Smart said Spartan “is more than a propulsion system”.
“What we’re building is a sovereign platform that’s clean, cost-effective, and engineered for the real world,” he said.
The Series A will help fund the NASA- and Pentagon-backed test flight of DART AE – a 3.5-metre-long hypersonic vehicle powered by Spartan. DART AE at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, USA. It will be the world’s first sustained hypersonic flight using green hydrogen.
Hypersonix CEO Matt Hill said having the NRFC behind such a critical strategic capability sends a powerful message.
“It shows real confidence in our mission and highlights the importance of building clean, reusable aerospace systems that meet today’s national security needs while shaping tomorrow’s industry,” he said.
The deep tech defence startup is also building advanced manufacturing capabilities in Queensland and the capital will also fast-track development of its second platform: VISR (Velos Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) – an 8-metre-long, reusable, hydrogen-fuelled hypersonic aircraft with four Spartan engines for ISR missions, rapid delivery, and space system testing.
High Tor Capital CEO James Chiswell said “We see enormous potential in platforms like DART AE and VISR that are transforming how we think about access to the edge of space and high-speed defence”.
NRFC CEO David Gall said defence is one of the government investment fund’s priority areas.
“We see huge potential in backing Australian companies and innovations that build our sovereign capability while also tapping into the global market for hypersonic and counter hypersonic capabilities among our friends and allies,” he said.
“Investing in Hypersonix will help to boost Australia’s aerospace capabilities by creating highly skilled design, engineering, and manufacturing jobs in regional Queensland.”
Hypersonix has a team of 45 people in aerospace engineering, advanced manufacturing, and testing roles in Brisbane.
The DART AE 001, the world’s first entirely 3D-printed airframe of a hypersonic launch platform in high temperature alloys. Image: Supplied
