If you’ve been trying to keep up with Tony and Torro lately, you’re not alone. From quiet airfields in Central Europe to back-to-back defence expos around the world, they’ve become the defence tech world’s answer to “Where’s Wally?”, only with less red stripes and more military flight approvals.
Behind the Scenes (But Not Too Much)
In recent months, the SiNAB team has been hard at work pushing the boundaries of airborne ISR. Although we can’t name names or reveal specifics (yet), what we can say is this:
- The Phoenix Pod recently completed a series of successful flights on new aircraft types that turned more than a few heads in Europe over a three day period, including the first demonstration of the Phoenix on a centreline pylon configuration
- One flight saw an operational pod on one aircraft type and a dummy pod on another type in formation, followed by a flight of the operational pod on the second aircraft type the next day, demonstrating seamless integration across a mixed fleet
- We also showed how the pod can be quickly fitted to any aircraft with NATO-standard pylons and removed post-mission, restoring the aircraft to its original configuration in less than an hour!
What’s Next?
While official announcements are still pending on many fronts, here’s what we can share:
- Discussions and proposals are actively underway in the Gulf, Europe, Canada, USA, and Southeast Asia, with multiple NDAs and representation agreements signed
- Following our appearance with PT. Fazza Royal Yantasir Simulasi at IndoDefence in Jakarta, interest across Southeast Asia is heating up, with new conversations underway about ISR and training applications across the region
- We’re also progressing exciting work with Manhattan Company in the Middle East, with more to be formally announced soon. Stay tuned.
- Our collaboration with our US friends at RAVN Aerospace continues to evolve, with joint demonstrations and deeper technical integration in the pipeline
- SiNAB will be at the Dubai Air Show this November, with Phoenix Pod capabilities showcased alongside global partners.
The Last Six Months at a Glance
This has been SiNAB’s busiest six months yet. Here’s a month-by-month look at what’s been happening behind the scenes:
January
- Tony and Torro travelled to the US for meetings with existing partner RAVN Aerospace, and other site visits in Texas and California
- Tony attended AFCEA West in San Diego, where Phoenix Pod was featured at the Persistent Systems booth, streaming live imagery from pods in Houston, USA and Cessnock, NSW Australia
February
- The Hunter Valley Airshow featured our Cessna O-2A thanks to Glenn Graham of Paul Bennett Airshows
- IDEX in Abu Dhabi saw the debut of the Phoenix Mini working prototype
March
- A mock-up of the Phoenix Mini EW pod was developed in collaboration with Solinnov
- At the Avalon Airshow, Phoenix Pod was displayed mounted on the wing of a QinetiQ LR60
- Three Phoenix Mini variants (EO/IR, EW, and IRST) were showcased on static display
April
- The Phoenix Mini was featured at the NSW Government Commercialisation Showcase
May
- At SOF Week in Tampa, Florida, we met with current and future users of the Phoenix Pod
- Tony visited training systems partners in Florida and Alabama
- Torro and Darren travelled to Europe for live Phoenix Pod demonstrations on two aircraft types, with a few castle tours and museum visits along the way
June
- Tony joined Torro and Darren in Europe for more capability demonstrations and partner meetings
- Product discussions and partnership meetings with a Czech aircraft industry
- Tony travelled to Jakarta for IndoDefence, where the Phoenix Pod hit the big screen- literally.
Global Impact, Australian Roots
Thanks to the support of government programs and our R&D partnerships, SiNAB has taken homegrown ISR tech from concept to combat-ready and the world is taking notice.
While we continue to knock on doors here in Australia, the majority of our growth now lies offshore, with global primes, OEMs, defence ministries, and integrators reaching out for Phoenix Pod and Phoenix Mini capability briefings, demonstrations, and commercial discussions.
So… where will Tony and Torro pop up next?
Watch this space.
