Seaflight Technologies, a leading developer of ultra-efficient large scale drones, today announced funding win with partner Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, from the Australian Government’s Emerging Aviation Technology Partnerships (EATP) Program.

The award includes $1.5m AUD ($1m USD) in direct funding and another $1.5m AUD in in-kind support from a consortium of Australian companies and organizations, for a total of $3m AUD ($2m USD) to design and build Seaflight’s long range cargo drone demonstrator, dubbed AURA-E.

Aviation accounts for around 2.5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, growing rapidly to around 4% by the 2030s. The sector urgently needs to decarbonize. Battery-electric propulsion is extremely efficient, but today the low energy density of batteries compared to fossil fuel make the adoption of even small electric aircraft prohibitive for most operators – heavy, expensive, and with low range and payload.

Seaflight, a 2 year-old startup based in Los Angeles and Sydney, has developed a novel form of Aerodynamic Flow Control that can enhance electric range and payload by up to 30% without having to wait for better batteries. It is a system that actively improves the lifting capability of wings for takeoff and landing, allowing them be downsized even when operating from runways as short as a cricket field. Slender wings with less surface area result in lower aerodynamic drag in cruise, enabling longer distances with larger payloads.

The new funding accelerates the development of the AURA-E fixed wing cargo drone demonstrator, a precursor to a production product that would make point-to-point flown cargo cost-effective for billions of people across the world that currently have little to no access to same- or next-day service. AURA-E will make its first flights in early 2026 and build up to an eventual range of 800km using a fraction of the energy used by today’s small planes, showcasing record-breaking efficiency.

Seaflight Technologies’ CEO Dr. Graham C. Doig said “We’re thrilled to be able to create this drone in Australia and demonstrate our aerodynamic flow control technology as a major unlock for electric range and efficiency on fixed wing aircraft. When we originally put together this proposal, we experienced tremendous support and generosity from a range of companies and organizations all eager to make this a landmark project in Australian aviation, there’s clearly intense ambition to place the country at the forefront of the electric revolution and Seaflight will play a major part in that now”

Dr. Sammy Diasinos, project lead researcher at Macquarie University, said “this project gives students and researchers at the university a chance to help make electric flight more available, sooner. Our expertise with aerodynamic optimization and vehicle design means that we can be a decisive factor in realizing Seaflight’s goal of greatly improving electric aircraft range through clever engineering. That can have a very significant impact on how aviation benefits regional Australia in the coming decades”

This award follows separate funding for Seaflight’s aerodynamic flow control technology, including a contract from AFWERX (a program for the US Air Force Research Lab (AFRL)), and a grant from the National Science Foundation, both of which helped develop different aspects of the technology that is now being integrated into Seaflight’s AURA-E cargo drone.

Senator Anthony Chisholm, Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Education, said “We’re already honouring our commitment to build a Future Made in Australia by partnering with industry through this program to develop innovative aviation technologies that can make a real difference for communities, particularly those in regional, rural and remote Australia. This includes drones and remotely-piloted aircraft that will ensure remote communities get access to the health services they need, and the cargo makes its way onto the shelves at the local grocer."