Anduril, the US defence tech start-up led by billionaire tech entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, has placed an order with Carbonix, a deal that could see Australian drones used in US defence missions.
Carbonix is teaming with ASX-listed independent aerospace manufacturer Quickstep Holdings to fulfil the order, with components for Carbonix’s Volanti aircraft to be manufactured at Quickstep’s facility in Geelong, Victoria, and then assembled in Sydney.
Quickstep provides composite components for aircraft such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, C-130J, F/A-18 and F-15E, working with customers including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.
The manufacturing partnership will immediately ramp up production of Volanti airframes, Carbonix chief executive Philip van der Burg said. It comes after Anduril recently won a $ US1bn counter-drone contract from the US Special Operations Command.
“With state-of-the-art facilities in NSW and Victoria, Carbonix is thrilled to be partnering with Quickstep and their highly trained and enthusiastic workforce, renowned for their innovative approach”, Philip van der Burg said.