Public Company News

DroneShield has won a $3.2m order for 70 of its drone disabling DroneGuns from a Western allied Middle Eastern Ministry of Defence that has one of the largest defence budgets in the world. This is the company’s largest order to date and serves to not only validate its products but also may lead to further orders.

Metalicity’s battery metals ambitions have received a boost with the return of some tantalising results from an innovative geochemical survey just 35kms along strike from the giant Greenbushes lithium mine. A first-pass sampling program has defined two large target areas that could host pegmatites under a lateritic cover with the company planning immediate follow up with an infill survey.

Emu NL has discovered a major, highly mineralised, epithermal gold system at its Vidalita prospect in the lucrative Maricunga precious metals belt in Chile. Three separate mineralised zones elevated in gold, silver and base metals were identified from drilling. Notable intersections included 26m @ 0.32g/t gold from 181m down-hole, 10m @ 0.33g/t gold from 217m and 6m @ 93g/t silver from 253m down-hole.

Lithium Australia will file two additional patents that will reduce capital and operating costs for its SiLeach lithium recovery process by removing the need for extensive evaporation. The move is a result of its ongoing partnership with ANSTO Minerals and will further refine the company’s commercialisation plans that include development of a large scale pilot plant.

Fresh from its technical successes in the Cooper Basin, Strike Energy has put its technical skills to work again to reveal a stunning analogue of the coveted Waitsia gas field in the North Perth Basin. Strike reported that detailed technical studies at its newly acquired West Erregulla project, just 16kms southeast of Waitsia, shows a potential gas resource of up to 1.24 trillion cubic feet.

Tech play Vonex has the big telco’s in its sights as it seeks to pinch market share from them courtesy of the disruption caused to the market by the roll out of the NBN. The company listed on the ASX yesterday after completing a $6m IPO and will now seek to gain greater market penetration for its cloud based PABX and related services.

Aquabotix will have the opportunity to demonstrate its SwarmDiver underwater drones to the US Navy under a research and development deal with the United States Naval Undersea Warfare Center. The agreement gives the company access to the Narragansett Bay military test facility – including its ranges and personnel - to test and demonstrate its swarming drones.

Spectrum Rare Earths has reported a slew of eye-popping, high grade gold results from historical drilling at its Washington gold project in northern California. Mineralisation occurs within a swag of criss-crossing quartz veins, usually over widths of about 2 metres at the mine. The company also identified 3 priority target areas for further drilling during its technical due diligence for the decommissioned gold operation.

BlackEarth Minerals is expanding its resource drilling program at the Razafy prospect of its 100%-owned Maniry graphite project in Madagascar after rock chip samples of up to 20% TGC confirmed a strike extension to the northeast. Rock chip samples of up to 11.9% TGC have also added a further priority target for immediate exploration drilling at the Razafy East prospect.

With its Mt Peake vanadium-titanium-iron project in the NT in the final stages of development planning, TNG has signed a deal with the owner of a similar looking resource in the Pilbara that could add value for both parties. TNG will team up with Todd Corporation’s BBI Group to provide its processing technology at the Balla Balla resource on the Pilbara coast.

UltraCharge has formed a joint venture with Indonesia’s PT Garda Persada for the manufacturing and sale of its high powered lithium-ion battery pouch cells in Indonesia and the ASEAN region. Pt Garda will secure firm orders for US$5m worth of batteries from its military clients whilst Ultracharge will invest US$3m to build a new production facility in Jakarta.

Blackham Resources is poised to extend the mine life of its Golden Age underground mine after making further high grade intercepts of up to 6.9m at 15.5 g/t gold below current mining areas. The results also highlight the potential to increase the mining rate through early access via the nearby Calais Decline.