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The $6.3 billion global defence technology company founded by former Facebook employee and designer of the OculusRift Palmer Luckey has officially entered the Australian market, appointing a new executive chairman and CEO to spearhead its local operations.
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Anduril has announced the launch of Anduril Australia — a new independent entity established to facilitate the local design, development, manufacture, and marketing of its major product lines.
The new entity will be led by David Goodrich OAM, who has been appointed as executive chairman and CEO.
Goodrich holds decades of corporate experience, which has included advising the Australian Defence Force.
As part of its expansion into Australia, the company plans to invest in the development of a range of advanced technologies for the ADF and allied forces, including artificial intelligence, cost-effective autonomous unmanned systems, and next-generation networked weapons.
Goodrich told Defence Connect the company would position itself for contracts across all warfighting domains.
“We are focused across all of the domains of defence and that includes maritime, land, air force, and space,” he said.
“Our technology and our operating system have the ability to add massive value across all of those domains.”
Anduril Australia will be headquartered in Sydney, however the company has pledged to create engineering, science, technology and manufacturing jobs across the country, developing a broad local industrial network.
According to Dr Shane Arnott, Anduril chief engineer, local firms have already joined the company's supply chain.
“[We] will be doing industry outreach and specifically targeting those areas we're looking to accelerate,” Dr Arnott told Defence Connect.
Anduril co-founder and CEO Brian Schimpf said in entering the Australian market, the company seeks to capitalise on the burgeoning appetite for defence innovation.
“The Australian Defence Force has long punched above its weight and been in the vanguard of regional security in the Indo-Pacific region, a role they will be asked to play more and more in the coming decades,” Schimpf said.
“Landmark treaties like AUKUS are signs that the century-long bond between the United States and Australia is only growing tighter and stronger.
“Australia has also embraced and deployed cutting-edge military technology — RAAF’s Loyal Wingman program is now one of the most impressive and innovative defence programs in the world. Add to all that a rich bed of Aussie STEM talent, and Australia is the perfect place for Anduril to grow.”
Newly appointed CEO of Anduril Australia, David Goodrich, welcomed the opportunity to support the ADF’s readiness in the future battlespace.
“Cutting-edge software and the ability to field a fully networked capability, is changing the battlespace. The old ways of operating exquisitely expensive but siloed capabilities simply won’t cut it in this new world,” Goodrich said.
“Now is the right time for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Australian government to look at their technology development with fresh eyes.
“With an informed but disruptive approach and fresh thinking, Anduril is the ideal partner as the ADF embarks on this critical mission and I look forward to leading Anduril’s contribution to these efforts in Australia.”
Anduril employs more than 950 people around the world and is valued at over $6.3 billion.
Since launching in 2017, the company has established partnerships with US Department of Defense and the UK Ministry of Defence.
Anduril was recently selected for a US$1 billion contract with US Special Operations Command for counter-UAS technology.
[Related: EPE, RedWave Technology partner to retail FTIR-based chemical threat identifier in ANZ]
Charbel Kadib
News Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media
Prior to joining the defence and aerospace team in 2020, Charbel was news editor of The Adviser and Mortgage Business, where he covered developments in the banking and financial services sector for three years. Charbel has a keen interest in geopolitics and international relations, graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in politics and journalism. Charbel has also completed internships with The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts and public relations agency Fifty Acres.
