Defence technology company Anduril announced plans to design, develop, manufacture, and market major product lines in Australia. Anduril has established an independent entity, Anduril Australia, and has appointed David Goodrich as executive chairman and CEO of Anduril Australia. Goodrich has more than three decades of deep international corporate experience including a decade advising the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and broader Australian government agencies on its most significant programs. He’ll oversee Anduril’s expansion into Australia.
Anduril’s Australia headquarters will be in Sydney, however the company will create engineering, science, technology and manufacturing jobs across the country and grow a broad Australian industrial network. Technologies like artificial intelligence, cost-effective autonomous unmanned systems, and next-generation networked weapons are among the top priorities for the Australian Defence Force and its allies, who increasingly recognise that yesterday’s defence systems will not deter or win tomorrow’s conflicts. Anduril brings the commitment, expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defence industry.
“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,” said Anduril CEO Brian Schimpf. “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.”
“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,” said Goodrich. “Now is the right time for the 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 now employs more than 950 people and is valued at over AUD$6.3 billion. It has already made a significant impact within the United States Department of Defense and the UK Ministry of Defence. Most recently, Anduril was selected for a US$1 billion contract with US Special Operations Command for counter-UAS technology. Anduril Australia’s office will further add to Anduril’s growing global footprint, with headquarters and offices throughout the United States and in the United Kingdom.