South Australian company Praetorian Aeronautics has partnered with Rheinmetall to deliver an Australian-developed containerised Counter-Uncrewed Aircraft System (C-UAS).

Known as AERIE – Autonomous-Engagement-Rapid-Interceptor-Effector – the system has been developed through a collaborative research and development partnership between the two companies, progressing from concept to prototype within 12 months.

The AERIE demonstrator features Praetorian Aeronautics’ Australian-designed and developed Arrow Interceptor and Hadrian Command and Control (C2) system.

Praetorian Aeronautics Chief Executive Officer Brett Hill said the partnership brought together complementary expertise to strengthen Australian air defence capability.

“Praetorian Aeronatics has been developing cutting edge systems for more than three years. Our partnership with Rheinmetall brings together our unique AI-enhanced C2 system and Arrow Interceptor with Rheinmetall’s engineering systems and production capability,” Mr Hill said.

“Together, we have delivered an Australian air defence solution for emerging global threats.”

The AERIE is an interceptor-agnostic, self-sustained and containerised C-UAS launcher designed for rapid deployment and reloading. Highly mobile, it can house 20+ interceptors, offering a low-cost solution to countering the increased threat of uncrewed drones and aerial systems.

Praetorian’s Arrow Interceptor is an autonomous, high-speed, low-cost interceptor designed for the kinetic neutralisation of multiple threat types beyond visual range. The Hadrian C2 is an AI-enhanced system designed to manage autonomous effectors across air, land and maritime domains.

Rheinmetall Defence Australia Managing Director Nathan Poyner said the partnership reflected the company’s focus on supporting Australian sovereign capability.

“Rheinmetall has a long and proud history of transferring technology and forging alliances with partners around the world,” Mr Poyner said.

“Our work with Praetorian Aeronatics continues this focus and has delivered a working concept of advanced C-UAS using Australian ingenuity with global air defence engineering and manufacturing know-how.”

Full operator demonstrations of the AERIE system are scheduled to begin in Q4 2026.