BAE Systems Australia and Skyryse Sign Autonomy MoU

BAE Systems Australia and California-based aviation technology firm Skyryse have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate their respective flight control technologies, targeting the development of next-generation autonomous and optionally piloted Commercial-Aircraft.

In a press release issued on September 23, 2026, the companies confirmed that Skyryse’s software-defined SkyOS will serve as the preferred aircraft operating system and flight control logic provider for joint projects. These projects will utilize BAE Systems Australia’s Vehicle Management System (VMS) to address growing demand across government, defense, and commercial sectors for modernized, highly automated fleets.

Integrating SkyOS and VMS architectures

The partnership brings together two distinct approaches to flight automation. BAE Systems Australia has spent 40 years developing sovereign autonomy technologies through its VMS architecture. By pairing this hardware and systems integration experience with Skyryse’s software platform, the companies intend to develop capabilities for both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, including future clean-sheet designs.

Andrew Gresham, Managing Director of Defence Delivery for BAE Systems Australia, stated that the collaboration will allow the defense contractor to leverage its decades of VMS development to grow collective opportunities in the autonomous aircraft market.

“Together, Skyryse’s Software-defined SkyOS and BAE Systems Australia’s Vehicle Management System bring complementary capabilities that can help deliver the next generation of optionally piloted and autonomous aircraft for our customers in an increasingly competitive and evolving environment,” Gresham said.

Skyryse designed SkyOS to combine human-rated flight software with autonomous capabilities within a certifiable platform. Mark Groden, Founder and CEO of Skyryse, noted that software is becoming the defining technology in aviation as operators look to accelerate the adoption of autonomous capabilities.

Expanding autonomous capabilities in defense and commercial sectors

Both companies bring recent momentum in uncrewed and highly automated flight to the MoU. In April 2025, BAE Systems Australia entered into a 10-year agreement with Boeing Defence Australia to integrate its VMS into the MQ-28 Ghost Bat uncrewed aircraft. The Ghost Bat program represents a major push into collaborative combat aircraft for the defense sector.

Skyryse has similarly expanded its footprint in both defense and civil aviation. In June 2026, the company announced a Partnerships with Robinson Helicopter Company to integrate SkyOS into the Robinson R66, aiming to develop a Group 4 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for defense applications. Earlier in the year, on March 5, 2026, Skyryse revealed plans to introduce a universal emergency autoland capability for Helicopters and airplanes directly within the SkyOS architecture.

The California firm is backed by significant capital to fund its certification efforts. In February 2026, Skyryse closed a Series C funding round that raised $300 million, bringing the company’s valuation to over $1.15 billion.

AirPro News analysis

We view this Memorandum of Understanding as a clear indicator of how traditional defense primes are adapting to the rapid pace of software development in the aviation sector. By partnering with a well-funded technology firm like Skyryse, BAE Systems Australia can potentially bypass the lengthy internal development cycles typically required for next-generation flight control logic. Skyryse gains a highly credible, established defense partner to help validate and scale its SkyOS platform beyond civil applications.

The explicit mention of “certifiable” software highlights the primary hurdle for autonomous aviation. The industry has proven that uncrewed flight is technically feasible, but certifying those systems for mixed airspace and human-rated operations remains the critical bottleneck. This partnership appears structured specifically to tackle that Certification challenge by combining BAE Systems Australia’s systems engineering rigor with Skyryse’s software architecture.

Sources: BAE Systems Australia