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Aurora Labs (ASX:A3D) has seen its share price recede -3% on fairly paltry volumes on Monday, even after revealing it’s locked in a next-generation small gas turbine.
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Those small gas turbines for the uninitiated go into small UAVs – drones – though are destined for models slightly larger than recreational quadcopters. (Small fixed-wing UAVs, to be precise.)
The turbines, made using an Australian-made 3D printing machine designed specifically to handle the job, are powered by gas to deliver more thrust but are small and lightweight enough to be drone-borne.
Aurora’s new model revealed Monday promises to deliver 40kg of thrust to a UAV, itself a milestone, but also one defined by 3D printing tech breakthroughs for A3D’s fabrication team.
The company reported on Monday its latest gas turbine model has higher fuel efficiency, with this model called the AU4.
Aurora is hoping the AU4 can become an “opportunity to establish Aurora’s 3D printed micro gas turbines as a benchmark in UAV and aerospace propulsion systems.”
All cards in order, the company’s going to start pumping out more of them in the second half of 2025 with an eye ultimately placed on the lucrative but hard-to-crack Australian defence sector.
“The AU4 represents a major step forward in our technology journey and is now progressing towards potential first purchase orders for our additively manufactured micro gas turbine product line,” Aurora CEO Rebekah Letheby said.
That wording could be why price dipped on Monday – “potential first purchase orders.” It sounds a lot like Aurora hasn’t sold anything yet.
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Regardless: “It’s exciting to see this momentum as A3D continues to advance defence propulsion technology in a rapidly evolving market,” Letheby added.
A3D last traded at 6.5cps.
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