RPAS 2026 Speaker Bio

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Phillips

Deputy Director UAS, Directorate of Aviation Operations

Defence Aviation Safety Authority

Lieutenant Colonel enlisted into the Australian Army in 1994 and has worked within the Army Aviation capability for over 30 years. With a background in rotary wing aviation maintenance, he has subsequently worked almost exclusively within in the domain of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems for the last 12 years. After commissioning in 2009, Lieutenant Colonel Phillips completed his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and in 2013 commenced working within the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Management Unit as the Shadow 200 Avionics Design Engineer. Commencing in 2016, Lieutenant Colonel Phillips was selected for the position of Senior Maintenance Manager within the 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment (now: 20 Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery) where he fulfilled this function as well as the role of Aviation Workshops Commander. From 2018 Lieutenant Colonel Phillips was selected for Sub-Unit Command and commenced his appointment as the Battery Commander of Combat Service Support Battery at the 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment. Following Sub-Unit Command, Lieutenant Colonel Phillips was selected to attend Australian Command and Staff College; after which he was posted to the Battlefield Aviation Program as the Project Officer for LAND 129 Phase 3 Tactical Unmanned Aerial System Replacement, and LAND 129 Phase 4 Small Uncrewed Aerial Systems. From 2023 to 2024 Lieutenant Colonel Phillips performed the function of SO1 Operational Airworthiness, within Army Aviation Command, managing regulatory compliance and approvals for all Army Uncrewed Aircraft Systems. In 2025 LTCOL Phillips was posted into the Defence Aviation Safety Authority as the Deputy Director for UAS Operations, where he is currently leading a major update to the Defence Aviation Safety Regulations for Uncrewed Aircraft Systems.

Lieutenant Colonel Phillips’s operational experience commenced in 1999 with a deployment to East Timor as part of the multinational force INTERFET, followed shortly by involvement in the domestic OP GOLD; he was subsequently deployed to Timor Leste’ on two further occasions, serving on the United Nations Peacekeeping Force, UNTAET. Lieutenant Colonel Phillips has represented the 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment with the United States Marine Corps, VMU3, and Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Squadron in Hawaii, he has led a training initiative to introduce unmanned aircraft to the PNGDF, and provided UAS input to Air Force Staff talks in the Philippines.

Lieutenant Colonel Phillips’ background and experience has provided him with significant exposure to the Australian Defence Force’s operation, acquisition and regulation of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems. This experience, coupled with his education and enthusiasm for autonomous systems and alternative manufacturing technology has enabled him to contribute to the ongoing proliferation of uncrewed aircraft across Defence.