Anduril was founded with the goal of transforming a slow, bureaucratic defense industry, and Korea's defense sector is fast and future oriented compared with any region in the world, making it an excellent partner to work with.
Brian Schimpf, Anduril Industries co-founder and chief executive officer, said at a press briefing at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 7th, "Few industries can move at the same speed as Anduril, so we look forward to results from collaboration with Korean companies going forward." Since its founding in 2017, Anduril has grown rapidly as a U.S. defense tech company, emerging as a key partner to the U.S. Department of Defense ("War Department") with artificial intelligence (AI)-based autonomous defense systems and military drones. The company is currently valued at $30.5 billion (about 40 trillion won).
Anduril's core strength is Lattice, an AI-based battlespace operating system (OS). Lattice is an "AI staff officer" that links unmanned aircraft (drones), submarines, surveillance sensors, and more into a single network for real-time integrated control. It integrates and analyzes thousands of sensors and data sources to compress the entire process—from situational awareness to judgment and execution—down to seconds, and supports real-time command and control across multiple domains with the push of a button.
Schimpf said, "On today's battlefield, the key challenge is making fast, accurate decisions amid an overwhelming flood of information," adding, "Our goal with Lattice is to automate the capacity consumed by information processing so commanders can focus on truly critical decisions."
After establishing a Korea office last year, Anduril has been expanding cooperation with domestic corporations including HD Hyundai, Korean Air Lines, and Hyundai Rotem. That morning, it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hyundai Rotem to build an AI-based manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) integrated command-and-control system. The goal is to apply Lattice to Hyundai Rotem's unmanned platforms and major ground weapons systems to enable real-time situational awareness and autonomous mission execution.
Last month, it completed a demonstration of three Korean Air Lines drones equipped with Lattice, and with HD Hyundai it signed an MOU last year to develop an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) and to design and build a prototype autonomous unmanned surface vessel. The prototype is currently under construction at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Ulsan shipyard and, as early as October this year, is expected to launch and then be deployed for sea trials off the U.S. coast. John Kim, head of Anduril Korea, said, "Over the past year, through cooperation with Korean partner companies, we have achieved concrete results such as starting construction of a prototype autonomous unmanned surface vessel and jointly developing autonomous drones," adding, "By combining Korea's hardware prowess with Anduril's software, we will help build a more precise and efficient network-based defense capability."
Schimpf spoke highly of the expertise and speed of Korean companies. He said, "The pace at which companies move is different," adding, "Delivering a prototype in one year is unprecedented." He then said the company would expand cooperation with Korean defense companies and build a supply chain base. He said, "We currently manufacture all products overseas and in the United States, and Korea has a supply chain with fast production speed and price competitiveness," adding, "We will incorporate Korean companies into the global supply chain."
Plans were also set to enter global markets together with Korean defense companies. John Kim, head of Anduril Korea, referring to the unmanned surface vehicle being developed with HD Hyundai, said, "We see this as a chance for Korea's defense industry to break into the U.S. defense market," adding, "If Anduril succeeds in winning the U.S. Navy's unmanned surface vehicle program, we can make more unmanned surface vehicles next year and 'win-win.'"