QinetiQ's Uncrewed Aerial Target Milestone Showcases Sovereign Capability

QinetiQ’s Australian designed and operated Phoenix Jet uncrewed aerial target has completed 500 successful flights.

The milestone was reached during a live fire trial at Woomera, South Australia. Despite remote and challenging conditions, the QinetiQ team successfully launched multiple Phoenix targets on time, enabling Australian Army Air Defence to attain strategic test and evaluation certification criteria.

The Phoenix Jet is designed, built, and sustained at QinetiQ’s Advanced Manufacturing Centre in Nowra, New South Wales, home to a local workforce of more than 150 employees, supported by 43 Australian suppliers. Each Phoenix is engineered, integrated and subject to testing at QinetiQ’s Nowra, facilities to ensure compliance and quality prior to delivery.

Originally developed as a Research and Development project for the Australian Army Air Defence 16th Regiment, the Phoenix has evolved into a cutting-edge aerial target system, capable of supporting land, air, and maritime trials.

Operated by a sovereign Australian team, the Phoenix can fly either autonomously or via a remote pilot, providing advanced threat representation, Test & Evaluation (T&E) and mission rehearsal to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and allied partners across the Asia-Pacific region.

The Phoenix is also a successful Australian export, with 24 systems delivered internationally. This includes three to the New Zealand Navy, three to the Royal Thai Navy, 18 to the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN), with a further nine systems to be delivered in 2025. The Phoenix continues to increase military readiness, operating in South Africa since 2017 for the Royal Singapore Air Force and in Germany for their armed forces. The 500th flight milestone reflects QinetiQ’s alignment to the National Defence Strategy and the Defence Industry Development Strategy, which call for stronger sovereign capability, resilient supply chains, and improved readiness in a more contested strategic environment.

Corry Neale, Interim CEO, QinetiQ Australia, said: “Reaching 500 successful flights with the Phoenix Jet is a proud moment for QinetiQ and a clear demonstration of the sovereign capability we deliver every day. “This milestone reflects the strength of our local workforce, our investment in Australian innovation, and our commitment to delivering reliable, mission-ready solutions to our customers that enhance operational readiness and national security.”

Key facts:

• 500 successful flights since program inception in December 2005.
• More than 150 local employees and 43 Australian suppliers contribute to the program.
• Each Phoenix is built from 701 individual parts.
• 315 missions for the ADF (including 250 through the Joint Adversarial Training and Testing Services contract).
• 57 flights for the Republic of Korea Navy.
• 44 OEM flights.
• 84 international missions.