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Ross Osborne is the Chief Engineer and Technical Director at SYPAQ Systems, a Melbourne-based company founded in 1992 that has grown from professional services and consulting in defence and government into one of Australia's most capable autonomous systems developers and manufacturers. Ross has been with SYPAQ for 16 years, joining after a graduate engineering program at BAE Systems where his focus was already on autonomous systems.
In this episode we trace the full arc of SYPAQ's most celebrated product: the Corvo PPDS, widely known as the cardboard drone. Ross explains how the concept came from a three-day sprint in 2018, prototyped on day one, flown on day two, bid written on day three. The idea was pitched at an Army Innovation Day, secured a contract, went through 10 months of engineering development, was shelved during COVID, and then, when the Ukraine conflict began in 2022, went from sitting on a shelf to full-rate production of 100 systems in five weeks.
We also discuss the Corvo X, SYPAQ's fixed-wing VTOL surveillance drone now delivered into Australian Army service through a formal acquisition program, a journey that took close to a decade. Ross explains the difference between running a rapid innovation program and navigating a full defence acquisition cycle, why both matter, and what makes SYPAQ's engineering culture different: nearly a quarter of the workforce are veterans, the team draws from automotive, medical, aerospace, and software backgrounds, and the engineering environment is built around multidisciplinary collaboration.
Ross shares his thinking on sovereign manufacturing, why the small premium to produce in Australia is worth it, how SYPAQ is now turning its decade of drone-building experience toward counter-drone technology, and why the 5,000 square metre Melbourne facility that felt large five years ago is already bursting at the seams.
🔗 GUEST LINKS
- Ross Osborne LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-osborne-sypaq/
- SYPAQ Systems: https://www.sypaq.com.au
Host Links:
- Peta Ellis (Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/petaellis
- BZV YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BeatenZoneVenturePartners/videos
- BZV Website: https://beatenzone.vc
Recorded and produced at The Podcast Boss podcast studio in Brisbane
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