Sydney underwater drone maker joins US warfare consortium

Sydney underwater drone maker joins US warfare consortium

Underwater drone manufacturer Aquabotix (ASX: UUV) has been accepted as a member of the Information Warfare Research Project (IWRP) consortium.

The consortium is focused on advancing information warfare capabilities to enhance United States Navy and United States Marine Corps mission effectiveness.

Aquabotix's acceptance into this exclusive consortium will open the manufacturer up to contracting with the US Government.

Additionally, Aquabotix will gain access to the US Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement, which is valued at over US$100 million.

The group says it was accepted into the IWRP consortium because it is a demonstrated tech leader with competencies in autonomy, assured communications and battlespace awareness.

United States Navy rear admiral C.D. Becker said last month that the IWRP OTA agreement will allow military acquisitions to happen a lot faster than through other processes.

"The IWRP OTA will accelerate acquisition and bring non-traditional sources, research and development labs, and industry together to provide new, innovative information warfare solutions," says Becker.

Chief executive officer of Aquabotix, Whitney Million, says the company being accepted into the consortium will rapidly advance the company's capabilities.

"It is a privilege to be joining other industry leaders in the IWRP," says Million.

"We anticipate participation in this consortium will provide access to key partners and customers while enabling rapid research and prototyping using non-dilutive funding options under the OTA to support our goal of continuing to develop innovative and leading-edge solutions and product offerings for the U.S. and allied governments."

Earlier this year, Aquabotix struck up a deal with the US Naval Undersea Water Centre to test its SwarmDiver product at the Narragansett Bay Test Facility in Rhode Island.

SwarmDivers are micro unmanned surface vehicles (USV) which operate as a single unit and can be used across several applications that require sensor payloads in defence, oceanography and aquaculture.

Aquabotix also maintains an active and growing presence across Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Asia Pacific.

Shares in Aquabotix are up 1.47 per cent to $0.07 per share at 11.28am AEST.

Never miss a news update, subscribe here. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.

Business News Australia

Get our daily business news

Sign up to our free email news updates.

 
Whitefox Recruitment founder Luke Hemmings making strides as a careers leader
Partner Content
After relocating his Canberra-founded company Whitefox Recruitment to the Gold Coast la...
Whitefox Recruitment
Advertisement

Related Stories

ASIC secures its first court win for greenwashing against US giant Vanguard

ASIC secures its first court win for greenwashing against US giant Vanguard

The Australian corporate watchdog has caught out one of the world&r...

Medicinal cannabis group Althea shaves $1.5m from its cost base through staff cutbacks

Medicinal cannabis group Althea shaves $1.5m from its cost base through staff cutbacks

Australian-founded medicinal cannabis company Althea Group (ASX: AG...

Charter Hall snares 15pc stake in Hotel Property Investments for $97m from 360 Capital

Charter Hall snares 15pc stake in Hotel Property Investments for $97m from 360 Capital

Listed funds manager 360 Capital Group (ASX: TGP) has offloaded its...

The party’s over: Splendour in the Grass festival cancelled for 2024

The party’s over: Splendour in the Grass festival cancelled for 2024

Splendour in the Grass, Australia’s largest winter music fest...