Our journey in composites began with the development of airborne equipment pods designed for supersonic carriage on military jets. Variants include our innovative low drag electronic pods and supersonic cargo pods. Airspeed’s offerings in the aerospace sector have subsequently grown to support several sovereign programs with bespoke radomes for Defence and civil applications.

Comprehensively tested to MIL-STD-810F and proven in flight testing beyond Mach 1.3, our pods have been certified and flown on F/A-18 (‘Classic’ and Super Hornet), F-111, Hawk, Learjet LJ35, Marchetti S211 and PC-9. The Airspeed Low Drag Electronics Pod offers compatibility with any military or civil aircraft equipped with 14” pylons.

Airspeed’s experience in radome design and build extends to both aerospace and maritime applications, covering both radar and communication frequency bands. Our analytical toolsets support our design capabilities in RF analysis and structural analysis.

We design and build radomes optimised for minimal transmission loss at specified radar frequencies. These radomes typically use S-glass or quartz over nomex honeycomb cores but can be thin wall monoliths in some applications.

Airspeed’s aerospace projects make extensive use of pre-impregnated (‘pre-preg’) composite materials, typically cured in our in-house autoclaves.

Airspeed is proud to be part of Australia’s sovereign endeavours in rocket motor production, by supporting our partners with leading edge carbon fibre rocket motor casings.

Airspeed rocket motor casings are lightweight pressure vessels that use high strength filament-wound carbon fibres to contain the propellant and are much lighter than a steel case of the same working pressure. A lighter pressure vessel also allows more propellant for more range or payload for a nominal system mass.

Rocket motor casings for various customers have been tested, fired and validated through a range of different tests and firing scenarios.

Airspeed utilises specialised equipment tailored for the composite manufacture of rocket motor casings. Our multi-axis filament winding machines and large pressurised autoclaves ensure precision and quality. We are specialists in the application of filament wound carbon fibre ‘towpreg’ materials for leading-edge rocket technology. We are investing heavily in five-axis machining capabilities and other technologies for making rocket motors of the future.

Our work in the maritime sector involves replacing heavy steel structures with lightweight, resin-infused composite structures. This approach not only reduces topside weight but also restores submarine stability margins, ensuring enhanced operational efficiency and safety. We specialise in surface ship work, focusing on resin-infused, lightweight replacement structures that utilise fire retardant resins.

Current project work includes the Replenishment At Sea Stump Masts (RASSM) for the BAE Type 26 and Hunter Class Frigates using hybrid pre-preg composite materials. With extensive experience in designing and manufacturing filament-wound pressure vessels, we demonstrate our broad capabilities within the maritime sector.

Airspeed applies resin infusion techniques using carbon, aramid, and glass fibres. These capabilities ensure the production of high-quality composite products that meet stringent industry standards.