Construction of Australia’s first airport-based research and development facility for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) has begun at Brisbane Airport.

QUT Vice Chancellor Prof Peter Coaldrake, Treasurer Andrew Fraser, BAC MD & CEO Koen Rooijmans, and QUT Prof Rod Walker at the sod turning

A UAV is a pilotless aircraft that can be used in combating terrorism, crop dusting and fire fighting.

Aviation research partners Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) are developing the $6 million Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation (ARCAA).

The 800sqm facility will house up to 35 researchers at the new master-planned Da Vinci Precinct.

Brisbane Airport Corporation Executive Manager Jim Carden said BAC welcomed the new research and development facility.

“Brisbane Airport is dedicated to delivering cutting edge, innovative technology to improve not only airport infrastructure, but the aviation industry as a whole,” he said.

“The ARCAA will conduct research into breakthrough UAV technology, which has countless applications, from military functions combating terrorism and improving bio-security measures, to an agricultural focus through crop dusting, not to mention the impact UAV’s will have on fire fighting efforts for major bush fires.

“The impacts of this research will forever change perceptions of the possibilities for aviation and its purpose.”

BAC and QUT previously joined forces to undertake world-leading research into projects such as the development of the Airport City, water quality, energy use, bird management, aviation security and now UAV technology.

QUT functions as the research and development arm, while the Airport provides a ‘living laboratory’ for QUT to undertake real world research and to strengthen its skills base.

The ARCAA comprises a main workshop for prototype air vehicle development, a Virtual UAV Laboratory for indoor hardware-in-the-loop prototype testing and a general purpose lab.

Given the nature of the UAV research and development, a fully-equipped Mobile Operations Centre has also been developed. The facility has been designed by Conrad Gargett Architects and will be built by Badge Constructions. It is due for completion in early 2010.