7 days ago
Revolutionary SuperPac aircraft debuts in Australia tour & race
A new humanitarian aircraft will be seen for the first time in Australian airspace as it tours the country ahead of the Outback Air Race in support of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).
Aircraft tour
The SuperPac 750XL-II, produced by NZAero, is the world's first commercial Extremely Short Take-Off and Landing (XSTOL) aircraft. The aircraft requires only 200 metres for take-off and is capable of landing on steep, rugged or unsealed terrain. Already in use by the United Nations and humanitarian agencies across 28 countries, its Australian debut coincides with its participation in the 2025 Outback Air Race.
The aircraft will be showcased in 22 public stopovers across Queensland, northern New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, Canberra and Sydney during August and September. Notable stops include Port Macquarie, Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Cairns, Mt Isa, Yulara, Alice Springs, Katherine, Broome, Carnarvon, Perth, Albany, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, Sydney, and Newcastle.
Humanitarian capability
The SuperPac 750XL-II was developed over seven years and is described as a next-generation, more powerful and fuel-efficient update of the 750XL. Its design enables take-off from and landing on semi-prepared strips, hillsides and other challenging terrains, making it suitable for post-disaster evacuations and humanitarian supply runs.
Stephen Burrows, Chief Executive Officer of NZAero, explained how the aircraft addresses challenges posed by climate change and remote access. "We know that the effect of climate change is accelerating across the world and it is now more devastating to human health, economies and the environment than ever before. Increasingly, the fight against its impact is being fought by nations around the world from the skies. For geographical areas which are heavily impacted by drought, natural disaster or are geographically isolated, this utility aircraft can lift more than its own weight, bringing hundreds of kilograms of supplies to remote regions and leaving with a cargo hold full of perishable produce, providing a critical economic lifeline. The smaller aircraft requires less training to fly and less time to refuel and take on more retardant. It can also climb to altitude significantly faster and requires a landing strip that is a fraction of the length of large planes. The humanitarian aid agencies we work with across the globe tell us our aircraft saves lives every day it is operating,"
he says.
Burrows added that modular accessories allow the aircraft to be converted quickly for roles such as dispersing fire retardant during wildfires, cloud seeding via rainmaking silver iodide particles over drought-affected regions, or agricultural applications such as topdressing.
The SuperPac is already operational in the Pacific Islands, supporting medical evacuation, humanitarian aid, disaster response, border patrol and maritime surveillance. It also operates as part of the United Nations World Food Programme in Africa.
Race and tour details
The 2025 Outback Air Race, a 3,800km aerial time trial supporting the RFDS, will feature over 40 participating aircraft. Since its inception, the event has raised more than AUD $4 million for the Flying Doctor, which provides aeromedical retrieval services for rural and remote communities. The race will begin in Yulara, Northern Territory, and end in Carnarvon, Western Australia. The event is judged on navigation precision and timing rather than speed and covers 10 scheduled stopovers over 15 days. Participants and crews are drawn from across Australia and New Zealand.
The SuperPac will complete a pre-race tour from 7 to 21 August, making stops throughout eastern Queensland and northern New South Wales. A further post-race tour will begin in Perth, travelling through South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, Canberra, Sydney and Newcastle.
Communities, aero clubs, and aviation schools along the planned route are encouraged to reach out for visits or demonstrations. The tour is intended to raise awareness of the RFDS's work and to introduce the SuperPac to Australian aviation enthusiasts.
Aviation applications
Dee Bond, NZAero Director and pilot for the Outback Air Race, said the event will be the first occasion the SuperPac is seen in Australia's airspace. "We're excited to meet fellow pilots, engineers and aviation enthusiasts across Australia and to introduce them to a uniquely capable aircraft. This tour is more than a showcase – it's a celebration of how aviation can change lives, especially in remote and challenging environments,"
she says.
Bond emphasised the SuperPac's suitability for medivac service operations. "Whether it's evacuating a patient from a remote cattle station or delivering urgent supplies after a cyclone, this aircraft was built for exactly those kinds of missions. It can operate on short, unsealed airstrips or roads and carry significant payloads, making it a practical tool for medivac, disaster relief and humanitarian response. It also allows us to demonstrate how advanced aviation engineering is solving real-world problems. This aircraft's modular design means it can be reconfigured within minutes for tasks like freight, surveillance or passenger transport. We're proud to support the Royal Flying Doctor Service by participating in this year's race, and we hope the tour inspires more people to understand what's possible when innovation is driven by purpose,"
she says.
NZAero states that the aircraft can be used for numerous additional applications, including surveying, pollution monitoring, passenger and cargo transport to remote sites, aerial photography, and geophysical surveying, such as detecting variations in the Earth's magnetic field and measuring greenhouse gas concentrations. According to Burrows: "The predecessors to the SuperPac have also formed a critical part of the agricultural sector for the past five decades, spreading fertiliser and pesticides. With climate change set to dramatically increase the intensity of locust swarms this technology is also playing a role in protecting crops around the world. The planes can now be equipped with Lidar, which scientists are using to map in 3D to help with flood modelling, measuring post-climatic event land movements, as well as identifying the optimal location for forestry tracks, rail and the power industry. This equipment is also used by researchers in other nations to detect the remains of ancient civilisations",
he says.
Aero clubs and communities along the tour route are invited to view the aircraft and engage with the NZAero team during public stopovers.
