Orbital Corporation Ltd announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Anduril Industries Asia Pacific Pty Ltd, a US-based defence products company transforming U.S., Australian, and allied military capabilities with its advanced technologies.
The MoU establishes a collaborative agreement between Orbital UAV and Anduril to work on concepts, products and technical solutions in the uncrewed domain. This collaboration is further enabled by the recent announcement by Anduril of its regional presence being established in Sydney, Australia.
Orbital UAV and Anduril will collaborate where there is a common interest to meet customer needs and requirements. The companies will meet at the Executive level at least once per annum to discuss market intelligence, customer requirements and identify strategic opportunities which can be tackled as a joint effort.
Next generation military technology
“We are delighted to announce this collaboration with Anduril – a truly pioneering company focused on delivering next generation military technology,”
said Todd Alder, CEO and Managing Director of Orbital UAV.
“The MoU represents an opportunity to demonstrate not only our superior heavy fuel engine capability but supports Orbital UAV to take the first steps toward building a long-term partnership to support Anduril’s growing portfolio of hardware and software products,” said Mr Alder.
Anduril was founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, designer of the Oculus Rift and Founder of Oculus VR. With expertise in artificial intelligence (‘AI’), robotics, advanced sensors, secure networking, aerospace, virtual reality technology, aircraft modelling and simulation, the company is seeking to transform allied defence capabilities by fusing AI with the latest hardware advancements.
The company recently secured a contract worth almost US$1 billion with U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). The contract will see Anduril support SOCOM’s counter uncrewed systems efforts as a Systems Integration Partner1. Additionally, Anduril recently announced their business is expanding to Australia and that they are now operational in Sydney, ready to support the Australian Defence Force and other customers in the Asia Pacific Region.
Best-in-class heavy fuel partner
“Orbital UAV’s proven technologies and established expertise in the aerospace industry with their foundation in engine design and manufacturing has the potential to support Anduril’s current UAS programs and our commitment to building cutting-edge technology at speed,”
said Executive Chairman and CEO Anduril Australia & Asia Pacific, David Goodrich OAM.
“Unlike most defence companies, we don’t wait for our customers to tell us what they need. We identify problems, privately fund R&D and sell finished products off the shelf. Orbital has a desire to diversify and understands the need to project and develop systems ahead of customer demand. We look forward to a long collaborative relationship with Orbital, both in the United States and Australia,” said Mr Goodrich.
Los Angeles-based Anduril toured Orbital UAV’s Hood River facility in December 2021. With the MoU now confirmed, Orbital UAV will deliver to Anduril a test engine for evaluation in the second quarter of 2022.
Source: Press Release