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Australia Unveils 3D‑Printed Astra 460 Uncrewed Surface Vessel

Hyperion says a containerised large-format 3D printer can produce hulls in days to supply scalable, low-cost USVs with sea trials and external evaluations pending.

Overview

  • Hyperion publicly revealed the ASTRA 460 at the Indian Ocean Defence and Security conference in Perth on Wednesday, presenting a 4.6 m uncrewed surface vessel with a 3D‑printed hull.
  • The company and partners say the ASTRA 460 uses a high‑density polyethylene hull made by large‑format additive manufacturing and is paired with Greenroom Robotics’ GAMA autonomy stack for remote and autonomous ISR and maritime security tasks.
  • Hyperion reported performance figures of about 40 knots top speed, 20–30 knots cruise speed, and a range near 100 nautical miles, but the hull shown at IODS lacked the full set of operational subsystems and these numbers await verification in sea trials.
  • The TitanCell factory‑in‑a‑box was displayed as a 20‑foot ISO containerised LFAM cell that Hyperion says can print roughly two Astra 460 hulls per week and that the firm is provisioning 10 units a month with a claimed ability to scale above 100 per month if required.
  • Hyperion says it used recycled polymer feedstock for the hull and plans to use the TitanCell after the show to convert community plastic waste into goods, a move that ties sustainability goals to decentralised, ship‑deployable production and could speed local repair and patrol capability if trials confirm durability.