AMSL Aero has secured $3 million in federal government funding to advance the development of liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft designed to serve remote and regional parts of Australia.
The Sydney-based company, which is behind the hydrogen-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft Vertiia, said the funding was awarded under the Department of Industry’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) Program.
The grant forms part of a $7.56 million two-year project titled Liquid Hydrogen Powered Aircraft for Regional and Remote Australia, AMSL Aero said in a news release.
AMSL Aero said it will work with New Zealand-based liquid hydrogen specialist Fabrum, alongside Monash University and Deakin University, to address technical, regulatory, and safety considerations for hydrogen aviation.
The project will involve the design of liquid hydrogen refuelling systems, trials of advanced fuel measurement and power distribution during Vertiia’s flight stages, the gathering of evidence to support regulatory frameworks, and demonstrations of integrated refuelling procedures.
AMSL Aero chief executive Dr Adriano Di Pietro said the funding reflects national support for the company’s long-term goal of reducing emissions in aviation.
“This funding points to the Australian Government’s support for our mission to revolutionise air mobility for regional and remote Australia,” he said.
Dr Di Pietro added that collaboration across sectors was key to making hydrogen aviation viable. “The project objectives reflect our cooperative leadership across the sector and community to decarbonise aviation,” he said.
Vertiia is among a new generation of aircraft that combine the vertical lift of helicopters with the efficiency of fixed-wing aeroplanes.
AMSL Aero reported it is one of a small group of companies worldwide to have successfully flown an eVTOL in untethered horizontal flight.
