Land Forces News in Brief 06 October 2026

KONGSBERG Australia and Zone 5 Technologies collaborate on affordable missiles: KONGSBERG Australia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Zone 5 Technologies (Zone 5) to explore collaboration opportunities to provide affordable, mass producible long-range strike and air-defence and anti-drone missiles for Australia and New Zealand. The MoU establishes a framework for the organisations to collaborate on local manufacturing and supply chain opportunities and builds on KONGSBERG’s growing weapons manufacturing capability in Australia. Zone 5, the market leader in affordable mass munitions, designs and manufactures highly scalable and affordable Deep Strike solutions and Interceptors. The combat proven ‘Rusty Dagger’ is a long-range strike cruise missile with flexible air, ground and ship launch options. The ‘White Spike’ air defence interceptor is designed for subsonic threats with particular focus on countering drones and is being integrated into NASAMS air defence command and control. KONGSBERG Australia is a wholly owned subsidiary of KONGSBERG and a Strategic Partner to the Commonwealth of Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise. It is well advanced in establishing the Kongsberg Missile Factory in Williamtown NSW, the first manufacturing and maintenance facility for the Naval Strike Missile and Joint Strike Missile outside of Norway. KONGSBERG’s recent acquisition of California-based Zone 5 will enable deep collaboration and new guided weapon manufacturing opportunities. Shield AI and Innovaero collaborate on sovereign, autonomous loitering munitions: Shield AI and Innovaero Technologies, an Australian defence and aerospace technology and manufacturing company specialising in precision loitering munition systems, have announced a collaboration to give the Australian Defence Force (ADF) greater strike capability. Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Shield AI will integrate its Hivemind mission autonomy software on Innovaero’s One-Way Loitering (OWL) family of precision munitions. OWL munitions are designed to efficiently identify, track and strike targets. Hivemind will enable faster mission planning and increased lethality in OWL’s attacks. This partnership offers greater sovereign local control for systems being developed and deployed for the ADF. Hivemind has already been integrated onto Innovaero’s OWL-B aircraft ahead of flight testing. Multi-agent coordinated strike missions are being simulated in dynamic conditions with commands issued through the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) tactical interface. “Shield AI has a proven track record of integrating Hivemind across a wide range of platforms and operational environments,” said Greg Tunny, CEO of Innovaero. “That experience makes Shield AI an ideal partner as we collaborate to bring advanced mission autonomy to the OWL family. Together, we are accelerating an Australian-designed capability while preserving Australia’s control over its critical defence technologies.” Hivemind dynamically reroutes mission plans, responds to unexpected conditions, avoids obstacles, and executes complex tasks safely and effectively. Operating as an edge AI capability, it supports platform autonomy when communications are denied, degraded, intermittent, or limited. SubSea Craft announces new MD for Australia: SubSea Craft has appointed Chris White as Managing Director of SubSea Craft Australia, strengthening its leadership team as the company expands its Australian presence. The appointment follows the establishment of SubSea Craft Australia’s facility at the Australian Maritime College in Tasmania and reinforces the company’s commitment to supporting defence capability, maritime innovation and regional collaboration. As Australia continues to increase investment in advanced maritime capabilities, autonomous systems and sovereign defence capability through initiatives including AUKUS, SubSea Craft Australia will play an important role in strengthening engagement with defence, industry and research partners across the region. A Northern Tasmania native, White brings more than 20 years of Royal Australian Navy experience, where he specialised as a Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving Officer and served as Commanding Officer of Australian Clearance Diving Team One. Following his retirement from the Navy, he joined the Australian Maritime College, where he established and grew a specialist Autonomous Maritime Systems capability supporting defence training, innovation and capability development. Most recently, he served as Manager Defence, Autonomous Systems, Engineering & Consultancy before joining SubSea Craft. NIOA, Macrodyne partner on advanced munitions manufacturing: NIOA has partnered with North American advanced manufacturing specialist Macrodyne Technologies Inc. to explore munitions manufacturing opportunities in Australia. The collaboration will focus on advanced munitions filling technologies and establishment of pressed explosives capabilities for a range of warhead and projectile solutions. The partnership complements NIOA’s growth in munitions metal parts manufacturing and will support sovereign manufacturing of kinetic effectors required for Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems (CUAS) where pressed explosives can achieve scale while increasing effector effectiveness. NIOA Australia and New Zealand Executive Vice President Ben James said the partnership would combine complementary expertise to support sovereign and allied defence capability. “NIOA is continually looking at new technologies and manufacturing processes that can strengthen Australia’s sovereign munitions capability and the resilience of allied supply chains,” James said. “Macrodyne brings world-class advanced manufacturing expertise as NIOA continues to explore the next generation of munitions filling and energetics-related solutions in Australia.” Macrodyne is North America’s largest hydraulic press manufacturer, specialising in custom-engineered presses, automation and advanced manufacturing systems. Its defence and aerospace work includes equipment for projectile manufacturing, armour production, precision straightening and the forming of aerospace components. Thales and 3ME Technology unveil Bushmaster-inspired BladeHAUL: Thales Australia and 3ME Technology have today unveiled the future of war-fighting with a versatile new platform that leverages key features of the Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle (PMV). Building on the combat-proven strength and reliability of the Bushmaster, BladeHAUL is a self-propelled, hybrid, heavy-duty, off-road, extra-large uncrewed ground vehicle (XL-UGV), engineered to outperform all existing and planned counterparts in payload capacity and operational flexibility. Manufactured in Bendigo and Newcastle, using the Bushmaster production line and 3ME’s leading power, hybrid drive and control systems expertise, BladeHAUL represents a significant step forward in sovereign Australian defence capability. BladeHAUL is designed to support a broad range of logistics missions and containerised payload capabilities to enhance operational effectiveness. By integrating advanced autonomy that enables human-machine teaming, hybrid technology, heavy payload capacity, and power generation within a single platform, Thales Australia and 3ME Technology are delivering a next-generation solution that enhances operational readiness and supports Australia’s commitment to sovereign defence innovation. Jeff Connolly, CEO, Thales Australia and New Zealand, said: “This is a clear example of Australian innovation delivering Australian capability. By leveraging the trusted Bushmaster platform and integrating advanced autonomous and power systems developed locally, together we are delivering a highly capable uncrewed ground vehicle to meet the diverse and evolving needs of our Defence Force. This achievement reflects the strength of collaboration between Thales Australia and 3ME Technology. It highlights how working closely with local SMEs and manufacturing on Australian soil can create cutting-edge solutions that strengthen our national security. With this platform, we are not just building a vehicle; we are reinforcing Australia’s sovereign defence industrial base by leveraging the trusted Bushmaster, utilising the skills and workforce of a defence prime contractor and innovative local technology company. Sovereign capability is central to everything we do at Thales Australia.” For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Group Sales Director Simon Hadfield at [email protected]