Anduril Industries last Saturday said it has entered a strategic partnership with South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries
that will leverage the U.S. defense startup’s expertise in autonomy and artificial intelligence and the world’s largest shipbuilder’s strengths in commercial and naval shipbuilding.
The arrangement also gives Anduril access to South Korea’s defense market and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries greater access to the U.S. defense market.
The companies plan to collaborate on the design, development, and production of autonomous naval systems in the U.S., South Korea, and with allies and partners. Anduril said the partnership will also leverage its capabilities in producing low-cost autonomous maritime systems at scale.
“Together, our companies will define a new maritime arsenal of democracy, one that both restores naval capacity through modern shipbuilding and mass manufacturing practices, while also enhancing naval capacity through cutting-edge mission autonomy, artificial intelligence, and software,” Christian Brose, chief strategy officer of Anduril, said in a statement.
Won-ho Joo, chief operating officer of Naval & Special Ship Business unit at HD Hyundai, said that “With the rise of autonomous naval systems as a significant component for future maritime defense, we expect to pioneer the market with our warship-building capacity and leading defense technology combined.”
Anduril also said that the companies will look to integrate its AI-enabled Lattice operating system with current and future HD Hyundai products, and how the South Korean company’s shipbuilding and manufacturing practice can help scale Anduril’s current and future maritime systems.
Anduril, through its acquisition in 2022 of Dive Technologies, develops autonomous underwater vehicles.
U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro this year met with shipbuilding executives in South Korea, including Hyundai, and encouraged them to invest in dual-use commercial-military shipyards in the U.S (Defense Daily, March 1).