Praetorian Aeronautics Pty Ltd

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Praetorian Aeronautics develops expendable and attritable unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) and counter-UAS (C-UAS) systems. Praetorian is an SME and employs an innovative, agile, and small workforce to develop capability at speed and respond to emerging threats.

Praetorian is developing the Venator family of tactical UCAVs with a modular, open architecture framework to provide intelligent combat mass. The Venator design concept has evolved from the lessons of recent conflicts and is suitable in both maritime and land contexts. The Venator family of aircraft are expendable and attritable platforms that can be fielded as remotely piloted, autonomous, swarming, and teaming platforms.

Praetorian’s Hadrian C-UAS defence system, currently under development and due for operational trials in 2025, will provide area denial capability against loitering munitions, one-way attack drones, and other UAS threats.

PRODUCTS

VENATOR:

The Venator UCAV family, currently under development, provides both penetrative and permissive ISR capability, as well as strike capability. Venator leverages existing, proven technologies to provide an affordable and costeffective

capability that is mission configurable and upgradeable. With a modular design and open architecture framework, the Venator UCAV system allows for storage and transport of two aircraft in one 20-foot ISO shipping container.

The Venator system is highly mobile, allows for airfield independence, and operation in austere environments. The Venator system also has the capability to launch and recover to maritime assets, such as landing helicopter dock vessels and amphibious assault ships. The Venator is compatible with current NATO 49kg class weapons, as well bespoke weapons packages.
The Venator civil defence variant provides cost-effective ISR capability for EEZ patrol, border security, and other law enforcement activities. The variant includes the capability of deployment of emergency medical and survival supplies in a search and rescue mode.

PRAETORIAN HADRIAN:

The Hadrian C-UAS system provides area denial capability against one-way attack drones, loitering munitions, and other hostile UAS threats. Hadrian’s kinetic hardkill capability can engage hostile targets beyond visual range and in a GNSS denied environment. The AI driven open architecture combat and sensor system provides the ability to detect hostile UAS at significantly enhanced ranges utilising a passive sensor array.
The Praetorian Hadrian system is highly modular and mobile, and in conjunction with the passive sensor array, provides survivability in a contested and lethal environment. The highly mobile nature of the launcher system, capable of rapid installation to a non-tactical vehicle (NTV), provides operators with the ability to field deploy using a reduced logistics train. The modular and open architecture combat and sensor system will allow for integration into other layered air defence systems.
Praetorian’s Hadrian system is designed to provide operators with long range interception capabilities against:

– Shahed – 131 / -136

– ZALA Lancet

– Samad – 1 / -2 / -3

– Rotary wing UAS

DISCRIMINATORS

Praetorian Aeronautics is an agile and innovative defence company able to rapidly respond to the warfighter’s needs.
The Venator aircraft provides a cost-effective solution that leverages commercial technologies to deliver real impact upon the battlefield.
The Praetorian Hadrian C-UAS system provides cost-effective medium to long range hard-kill defence against one-way attack drones and loitering munitions in a highly mobile and survivable system.

AVAILABILITY AND SUPPORT

The Venator system will be ready for entry into service in early 2026. Countries and partners can discuss access to limited production slots that will be made available for 2026 and 2027.
The Praetorian Hadrian system will enter service in 2026. The Hadrian support program will provide customers with a constantly evolving threat library to enable the system to deter all emerging threats.

KEY CUSTOMERS

Key customer relationships and discussions for both the Venator and Hadrian are not disclosed publicly.

Key Partnerships (Suppliers)

Defence Trailblazer Program
University of New South Wales (Australia)
University of Adelaide (Australia)
RMIT University (Australia)
Charles Darwin University (Australia)
Defence NT (Australia)
Aerobond
ACS Australia
AVT Australia
Arkeus
Bespoke Engineering
Secure State

Contact Details

Name: Richie Bower
Position: Program Manager
Phone: +61 452 001 718
Email: [email protected]