Saildrone Expands Partnership with Austal

U.S. based uncrewed surface vehicles (USV) company Saildrone is expanding its partnership with Australian shipbuilding group Austal.

Having already entered a strategic partnership with Austal USA in August 2022 to construct Saildrone Surveyor USVs at Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Ala., the company has now entered an exclusive Teaming Agreement with Austal Australia to jointly identify opportunities to collaborate on the manufacture of the 20-meter Saildrone Surveyor, in Australia, for deployments in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Saildrone Surveyor USV is 20 meters long and designed specifically for deep ocean mapping and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) applications, above and below the surface. The Surveyor is autonomous and uncrewed, offering extreme endurance, reliability, and cost-effective operations.

Saildrone’s founder and chief executive officer Richard Jenkins is an Australian National, having grown up in the southwest of Western Australia. Jenkins went to school mainly in the U.K. and moved to America in 2009 to start the business. “It is fantastic to be bringing technology, innovation, and investment back to Australia, and specifically to my home city of Perth,” Jenkins said.

“I am very excited to have Austal Australia as a partner and to explore the possibilities to put our vehicles to work for Australia and our partners in the wider Indo-pacific Region.”

Austal Limited chief executive officer Paddy Gregg said the Teaming Agreement was a logical move and an excellent opportunity for Austal Australia and Saildrone to collaborate.

“This Agreement allows us to bring Saildrone Surveyor manufacturing to Australia, building in parallel with Austal USA. This increases our ability to rapidly scale to meet the demands we anticipate in the Indo-Pacific region. This industry-leading technology complements our work in the Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial and strengthens our capabilities overall in the autonomous naval vessel market,” Gregg said.