Michael Mulquiney is the Head of UAS Training at ITPS (Canada) Ltd. He joined the Royal Australian Navy in 2008 with a background in civil aviation as a commercial pilot and process operator in heavy industry. Michael earned a Master’s in Aviation Management in 2014, specializing in Advanced Human Factors, and is a seasoned safety incident investigator and facilitator.

In 2015, he qualified as a maritime helicopter pilot (Seahawk – Bravo), conducting operational deployments across North East Asia and the Middle East. By 2018, Michael transitioned to the Navy’s RPAS program, serving as the senior Mission Commander and facilitating maritime RPAS flight test programs. In 2021, he became the first ADF RPAS Test – Remote Pilot after completing training at ITPS and was posted to the Navy Flight Trials Unit to lead the RPAS trials program.

Michael ceased full-time ADF service in 2023, transitioning to contractor status as the Navy Test and Evaluation lead for prototype maritime uncrewed systems. He worked extensively with air, surface, and subsurface platforms. Michael continues active Reserve duty with the Navy as a specialist RPAS Flight Test practitioner. He was recently awarded the Head of Navy Capability – Silver Commendation for his pioneering work in highly automated logistics transfer with RPAS for Shore to Ship, Ship to Shore, and Ship to Ship resupply.