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RPAS in Australian Skies 2026


Dates: March 10-12, 2026

Location: Canberra (Hotel Realm)

The AAUS RPAS in Australian Skies conference has established itself as a landmark event for the Australian RPAS  industry drawing interest from key government personnel, industry leaders and academia.

The 2026 conference held in conjunction with the AAUS Gala Dinner promises to provide participants with important strategic information and valuable networking opportunities.


Conference Themes

  • RPAS related policy and regulatory updates from Australian and international government bodies
  • UAS Traffic Management (UTM), low level airspace and integrated airspace systems
  • Industry challenges and perspectives
  • Continuing development of a professional and safe industry
  • Emerging technologies and innovative solutions enabling RPAS integration in Australian airspace
  • Emerging applications benefits, viability and social acceptance
  • Case studies of drone use and challenges in emergency services, infrastructure inspection, delivery, mining, science and agriculture
  • Advanced Air Mobility
  • Drone cyber security threats and management


Event Format

The conference will take place over two days and will be launched with networking drinks on the evening prior to Day one.

Tuesday 10th March - Pre-Event Networking Drinks
Wednesday 11th March - Conference Day 1 / Gala Dinner and Industry Awards 
Thursday 12th March - Conference Day 2 

Dress Attire for Gala Dinner - Semi Formal


Program - Draft

    Tuesday 10 March

    Time   Activity  Location
     1700-1900 AAUS Pre-Event Networking Drinks (inclusive for all registered delegates of the conference) Melbourne Foyer, Hotel Realm
    Melbourne Foyer, Hotel Realm

    Wednesday 11 March

    Conference, National Ballroom, Hotel Realm


    Time   Activity / Presentation  Presenter
     0830 Registration and Barista Coffee
      Session 1:  Policy and Regulation
     0900 Welcome Andrew Crowe (AAUS President)
     0910  Keynote presentation TBC (Department of Infrastructure)
     0930  Keynote presentation Pip Spence (CASA)
     0950  Keynote presentation  Rob Sharp (Airservices Australia)
     1010  Q&A Session Session Speakers
    1030 Morning Tea   Melbourne Foyer, Hotel Realm
      Session 2:  Airspace Integration  
     1100 Session Introduction Moderator: 
     1105 Title TBC Airservices Australia
     1115 Simplifying AAM by designing it from both ends Marcus Carr (Metrops)
     1125 Learnings from Higher Up: Australia’s Integrated Airspace Journey
    James Kaminski (Flight Next)
     1135 Australian Digital Airspace Characterisation: Advancing Air Risk Modelling and Insights for Emerging Aviation
    Aaron McFadyen / Brendon Williams (QUT)
     1145 Panel Discussion Session Speakers
     1215 Lunch   Melbourne Foyer, Hotel Realm
      Session 3:  
     1315  Session Introduction Moderator: 
     1320 DASA Update LTCOL Charles Phillips (DASA)
     1335 Lessons from the Docklands swarm display investigation - AO-2023-033
    Michael Dawes (ATSB)
     1350 FRV BVLOS Trial  Wayne Rigg AFSM (FRV)
     1405 US Flight Path to BVLOS  Pelwinderpal Singh (OneSky Systems Inc.)
     1420 Human Factors in UAS Operations: challenges and opportunities for Mission Aircrew
    Dr Oleksandra Molloy (UNSW, ADFA)
     1435 Afternoon Tea   Melbourne Foyer, Hotel Realm
       Session 4:   
     1505 Session Introduction  Moderator: 
     1510 The future is wild - uncrewed systems and integrated autonomy supporting crocodile management and visitor safety in Kakadu National Park
    Renee Bartolo / Coleby Thew (DCCEEW)
     1520 Surf Life Saving NSW: Insights into UAV Adoption, Capability Building, and Social Acceptance in Public Safety
    Oliver Heys (Surf Life Saving NSW)
     1530  Autonomous Pipeline Monitoring: Transforming Compliance and Safety through Scalable and Remote RPAS Operations
    Paris Cockinos (Sphere)
     1540 Wildu Aero: Hydrogen-Powered Drone Logistics Co-Designed for Remote Healthcare and Community Impact

    Anna Klis (ASAC Consultancy)

     1550 Panel Discussion Session Speakers
     1620 Conference Close (Day 1)   

     1830 - 

      2200

    AAUS Gala Dinner and Industry Awards (for all registered delegates of the Gala Dinner)

     National Ballroom, Hotel Realm




















    Thursday 12 March

    Conference, National Ballroom, Hotel Realm


    Time   Activity / Presentation  Presenter
     0830 Registration and Barista Coffee
      Session 5:  Training
     0900 Welcome Moderator: 
     0905 Title TBC Wayne Condon (Toll)
     0915 From Remote Pilot Licensing to Bachelor of Aviation Management: The Five-Year Journey of SuasRov and Swinburne University Toward Australia’s First UAS-Focused Degree Joe McMahon (SuasRov)
     0925 RPAS Training - The foundation of our industry needs better outcomes, more Inclusion
    John Fleming (FPV Australia)
     0935 Racing towards Australia's RPAS Future - The convergence of Dronesport and Industry
    William McCann (Aust. FPV Drone Racing Ass.)
     0945 AAUS Drone Industry Accreditation Update
    Greg Tyrrell (AAUS)
     0955 Panel Discussion Session Speakers
    1025 Morning Tea   Melbourne Foyer, Hotel Realm
      Session 6: Developing Australian Capability  
     1055 Session Introduction Moderator: 
     1100 Title TBC Ross Osborne (SYPAQ Systems)
     1115Defence UAS Program Delivery Models – Industry feedback
    Andrew McKinnon (Dept. of Defence)
     1130 Bridging the Valley of Death: An Integrated Accelerator-Alliance Framework for Developing Australia's Mid-Tier Uncrewed Systems Industrial Base at Scale
    Peter La Franchi (TBH Pty.Ltd.)
     1145 Australian-Made at Scale: Tackling the Challenges of Sovereign Drone Manufacturing
    Ross McKinnon (Grabba Technologies)
     1200 Structural Optimization & Lightweight Design
    Simon Bartlett (Evok3D)
     1215 Lunch   Melbourne Foyer, Hotel Realm
      Session 7:   
     1300 Session Introduction Moderator: 
     1305 Title TBC Adam Welsh - TBC (DJI)
     1315 After a decade, what now? Fiona Lake (Rural Drone Academy)
     1325 An Evaluation of Counter-UAV Technologies for Mitigating Threats from Small Drones in the Context of Civil Airport Operations
    Dr Man Liang (RMIT University)
     1335  
     1345 Panel Discussion Session Speakers
     1415 Afternoon Tea   Melbourne Foyer, Hotel Realm
       Session 8:   
     1445 Session Introduction  Moderator: 
     1450 Navigating Regulatory Barriers: Facilitating Civil UAS Testing and Swarm Autonomy for Defence Operation Ashim Panta (Praetorian Aeronautics)
     1500 ReefWorks Aerial Technology Test Range - The case for an RPAS Technology Sandbox Emily Sehu (AIMS)
     1510 Simplified SORA; Making Risk Assessment a Routine Part of Drone Operations Ravi Murty (Yarra Drones) 
     1520 Drones, Boats and Subs: Complementary Multimodal Autonomous Systems for Environmental Monitoring in Marine Science
    Shaun Barlow (AIMS)
     1530 Panel Discussion Session Speakers
     1600 Closing Remarks  
     1610 End of Conference  


    Registration

    Delegate Type  Price
     AAUS Member  $850
     Non-member  $975
     Government  $850
     Student** 
     $585
     Gala Dinner  $220


    • All pricing exclusive of GST
    • ** please email events@aaus.org.au for registration access code
    • All delegates must agree to AAUS Terms and Conditions and Code of Conduct
    • Registrations close 28th February 2026

    Register Now


    Gala Dinner

    The Gala Dinner featuring the AAUS Industry Awards will be celebrated on the evening of day one, Wednesday 11th March. Please note tickets for the Gala dinner are in addition to the RPAS registration price.


    Sponsorship and Exhibition

    AAUS has a number of sponsorship and exhibition packages available for the RPAS in Australian Skies conference and Gala Dinner, including the opportunity to exhibit at the conference.

    Sponsorship Prospectus


    Accommodation

    AAUS has secured 15% discounted accommodation across the DOMA Hotel group in Canberra for the conference attendees. Bookings can be made online or by contacting DOMA Hotels reservations on +61 2 6163 1888. For more details, download the information sheet.


    Sponsors 

    AAUS gratefully acknowledges the support of our event sponsors.  

    Platinum

    Platinum



    Gala Dinner



    Gold



    Gold



    Gold


    Silver


    Silver


    Barista Cart

    Lanyard



    Exhibitors 

    AAUS gratefully acknowledges the support of our early event exhibitors.  (Limited Exhibition opportunities exist).
















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