This episode collects a number of interviews recorded at the Indo Pacific 2025 event held in Sydney at the start of November. We start by speaking to Dr Shane Arnott, Chief Engineer at Anduril Industries, about the success of their Ghost Shark unmanned submarine program which has a $170 million contract with the RAN. We also discuss the strategic shift towards unmanned systems for naval operations, and the considerable adoption of such submarines by the Royal Australian Navy. We examine other maritime approaches by Anduril, like its Copperhead (small diameter undersea robot) and Sea Bed Century (subsea sensors), designed to network underwater assets effectively despite challenging communications conditions. We close with an assessment of the immense technological challenge of subsea autonomy compared to other domains and Anduril's approach of rapid iteration through early field testing, rather than relying solely on simulation

=—-=

Next up, Grant talks with Antony Penn, Chief Commercial Officer at Exail Robotics. discussing Exail Robotics' long history in mine countermeasures, dating back to its origins as ECA Group in the 1930s. We assess their development of the PAP system for demining and how it became a reference solution. Antony then reviews the company's current autonomous systems designed to detect, classify, identify, and neutralize underwater threats efficiently.

=—-=

Finally, Grant speaks with Sam Abbott, Head of Research & Development at Austal Australia, and Harry Hubbert, Chief Operations Officer and Director at Greenroom Robotics, about Austal Australia's collaboration with Greenroom Robotics on autonomous patrol boats. We delve into their Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial (PBAT), which repurposed a decommissioned vessel that operated autonomously for four days across 700 nautical miles of the WA coast without human intervention. We wrap up by assessing how this partnership is bringing autonomy capabilities to maritime platforms like patrol boats and potentially Border Force vessels.

Links:

Anduril

www.anduril.com

Exail Robotics' Mine Countermeasures

www.exail.com/product-range/umis-unmanned-mcm-mine-countermeasure-integrated-system

Austal

www.austal.com

Greenroom Robotics

greenroomrobotics.com

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The ADM Podcast is produced by Southern Skies Media on behalf of Australian Defence Magazine, a Yaffa Media title (www.australiandefence.com.au).

The views of the people appearing on this podcast do not necessarily represent the views of Australian Defence Magazine, the Department of Defence or the guests' employer.

If you wish to use any of this podcast's audio, please contact Australian Defence Magazine via their website www.australiandefence.com.au or email them via defmag@yaffa.com.au to get involved.

ADM Podcasts are a blend of public interest journalism and sponsored content with a focus on the Defence community. Conversations with leaders and thinkers from a range of backgrounds including academia, Defence, industry, and associations. ADM Podcasts aims to educate, explain and explore some of the bigger issues around Defence.

For sponsored content opportunities, please contact ADM Associate Publisher Kylie Leonard and/or National Sales Manager Michael Flanagan.

Hosted by Grant McHerron

Producer: Steve Visscher

Australian Defence Magazine - © 2025

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick, Nigel Pittaway and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We start with the government's announcement that they will be restructuring the Defence acquisition organisation with Capability Managers moving under VCDF while CASG, GWEO & NSSG get moved into a new Agency that will report directly to the Minister. Will this resolve the issue of late deliveries and scope creep? Lets watch this space and see.

We also note that Turkey claims that one of their Collaborative Combat Aircraft shot down an airborne target drone using a radar guided missile. They're saying this is a first in the world and it seems like they may be correct, pipping Boeing to the post as they're planning to perform the same feat in December or early 2026.

We wrap with a mention of the December/January issue of the magazine, tease Ewen's new podcast, and note that we're going on hiatus for the Summer break and will be back in late January.

Links:

Government undertakes major shake-up of Defence acquisition

https://www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/government-undertakes-major-shake-up-of-defence-acquisition

Turkish combat drone downs airborne target in global first

https://www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/turkish-combat-drone-downs-airborne-target-in-global-first

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The ADM Podcast is produced by Southern Skies Media on behalf of Australian Defence Magazine, a Yaffa Media title (www.australiandefence.com.au).

The views of the people appearing on this podcast do not necessarily represent the views of Australian Defence Magazine, the Department of Defence or the guests' employer.

If you wish to use any of this podcast's audio, please contact Australian Defence Magazine via their website www.australiandefence.com.au or email them via defmag@yaffa.com.au to get involved.

ADM Podcasts are a blend of public interest journalism and sponsored content with a focus on the Defence community. Conversations with leaders and thinkers from a range of backgrounds including academia, Defence, industry, and associations. ADM Podcasts aims to educate, explain and explore some of the bigger issues around Defence.

For sponsored content opportunities, please contact ADM Associate Publisher Kylie Leonard and/or National Sales Manager Michael Flanagan.

Hosted by Grant McHerron

Producer: Steve Visscher

Australian Defence Magazine - © 2025

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Nick Ross, Head of Defence for Pexip, about their secure video collaboration software platform.

We begin our discussion by exploring Pexip’s background specializing in video collaboration software for interoperability and security and its mission to provide communication tools irrespective of technology or security level. The conversation then delves into Pexip's focus on connecting diverse platforms and supporting self-hosted secure deployment. We learn about its partnerships with Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Nvidia to deliver AI features like language translation in meetings, and emphasize the importance of controlling data within firewalls in a defence context.

We wrap up by discussing future plans: expanding into tactical environments, leveraging new satellite connectivity with Project Kuiper, and enabling secure collaboration across the defense supply chain.

Links:

Pexip Secure Video Communications

www.pexip.com

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The ADM Podcast is produced by Southern Skies Media on behalf of Australian Defence Magazine, a Yaffa Media title (www.australiandefence.com.au).

The views of the people appearing on this podcast do not necessarily represent the views of Australian Defence Magazine, the Department of Defence or the guests' employer.

If you wish to use any of this podcast's audio, please contact Australian Defence Magazine via their website www.australiandefence.com.au or email them via defmag@yaffa.com.au to get involved.

ADM Podcasts are a blend of public interest journalism and sponsored content with a focus on the Defence community. Conversations with leaders and thinkers from a range of backgrounds including academia, Defence, industry, and associations. ADM Podcasts aims to educate, explain and explore some of the bigger issues around Defence.

For sponsored content opportunities, please contact ADM Associate Publisher Kylie Leonard and/or National Sales Manager Michael Flanagan.

Hosted by Grant McHerron

Producer: Steve Visscher

Australian Defence Magazine - © 2025

This episode collects a number of interviews recorded at the Indo Pacific 2025 event held in Sydney at the start of November. Starting with Grant McHerron and Max Blenkin talking with Marcus Hellyer, Strategic Advisor at C2 Robotics, to explore the company's guiding philosophy of generating mass affordably using autonomous systems. We delve into C2 Robotics' heritage in electro-optical sensors and machine learning for navigation within GPS-denied environments, and the development of their Large Uncrewed Underwater Vessel, Speartooth, We wrap up by reviewing the company's initial export success and participation in the Royal Australian Navy's Autonomous Warrior trials, and emphasizing the need for diverse systems across different missions and price points.

=—-=

Next up, Grant speaks with Phil Guy, Managing Director at Mellori Solutions, Christo Swanepoel, Structural Engineer and Michael Ashelford, Project Manager at Global Defence Solutions, and Jacob Hobbs, Systems Engineer and Adel Swanepoel, Testing and Technology Manager (NSW) at Mellori Solutions. We discuss their recent announcement of Blue Jay Horizon, a test and assurance system for electromagnetic sensors installed on helicopters, naval vessels, and land-based platforms. Built in regional NSW, the system’s target markets are the Australian and New Zealand Defence Forces, as well as export markets including the UK, Europe, and the US. We wrap up by assessing the immense technological challenge involved in miniaturising powerful electronics for naval deployment, requiring innovative solutions for heat management, power conditioning, and operator interfaces.

=—-=

We then move to Fortinet's stand where we talk to Nicole Henry, Head of Government Affairs for Australia and New Zealand, and Istvan Takacs, Enterprise Solutions Architect, about cybersecurity's importance to national productivity, the risk that post-quantum cryptography poses, and how Fortinet has introduced quantum-safe features in its operating system. We wrap up by discussing ASD requirements and NIST standards for implementing post-quantum cryptographic systems to help assure security into the future.

=—-=

Grant was able to catch up with Mike Hanlin, Senior Director of International Strategy & Business Development at Shield AI, to talk about its mission to protect service members and civilians using intelligent systems. Our discussion examines V-BAT, their low-cost, long-range VTOL aircraft designed for search and strike missions in contested environments, highlighting its successes in Ukraine. We then turn to X-BAT, the world's first AI-piloted fighter jet leveraging proven GE F110 engines, advanced autonomy, and vertical landing capability. We wrap up by assessing Shield AI's role in the Indo-Pacific market, including Australia as a hub for expansion and strategic investments to address long logistics chains and enhance naval operations with their innovative autonomous solutions.

Links:

C2 Robotics' Speatooth LUUV

c2robotics.com.au/products/speartooth

Mellori Solutions' Blue Jay Horizon

mellori.com.au/products/blue-jay-horizon

Fortinet

www.fortinet.com

Shield AI

shield.ai

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The ADM Podcast is produced by Southern Skies Media on behalf of Australian Defence Magazine, a Yaffa Media title (www.australiandefence.com.au).

The views of the people appearing on this podcast do not necessarily represent the views of Australian Defence Magazine, the Department of Defence or the guests' employer.

If...

This episode collects a number of interviews recorded at the Indo Pacific 2025 event held in Sydney at the start of November. Starting with William Egan, Senior Vice President - Sales & Marketing at Teledyne Marine, covering the company's water gliders, which are designed for long duration deep ocean travel, as per their Sentinel Mission circumnavigating the world. We then assess their modular design that allows changing sensor packs for various missions like surveying and surveillance, and review the importance of seabed mapping and projects such as Seabed 2030, which highlights how these technologies enable discovery of new marine species and support safe submarine operations with forward-looking sonars.

=—-=

Next up are John Eva, Senior Director - Sales & BD Asia Pacific, and Nathan Grove, Director APAC BD & Sales, both with Teledyne FLIR Defense. Our discussion reviews the company's advancements in forward-looking infrared technology for various platforms, including drones and vessels. We explore how AI enhances sensor feeds for threat detection and classification, reducing cognitive load on operators while improving situational awareness across different missions.

We wrap up by assessing their ecosystem approach of partnering with competitors under open system architecture to support integration efforts globally. The discussion highlights strong market opportunities in Australia and the Asia Pacific region, including Southeast Asia due to ongoing conflicts, and emphasizes their role in AUKUS partnerships for interoperability.

=—-=

We then get an update from John Fry, Managing Director of Kongsberg Defence Australia. Our discussion explores Kongsberg Defence Australia's current activities surrounding the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) and Joint Strike Missile programs. We discuss the recent Australian-made certification for NSM launchers, along with progress on the new missile fabrication environment under construction at Newcastle airport, highlighting its complexity compared to a warehouse and its forecast for local build of NSM and JSM commencing in early 2027. We wrap up by assessing the recent successful test firing of StikeMaster in Norway using a Bushmaster platform to launch an NSM blast test vehicle, and potential export opportunities for missiles made in Australia.

=—-=

On the Leidos stand we receive an update from Vice Admiral (Rt’d) Frank Pandolfe, Vice President and Strategic Account Executive for the Navy and Marine Corps, and Kevin “Q” Quarderer, Director Science and Technology. Our discussion explores Leidos' approach to autonomous systems in the maritime environment, including their long-term work with unmanned vessels like Seahawk and Seahunter for the Navy and partners. We then assess how they are developing a common operating architecture for different vessel scales, emphasizing modular open systems for plug-and-play capabilities, before reviewing lessons learned on training humans to use and maintain these technologies effectively, and the deterrence effect of autonomous systems from operational insights in Ukraine where low-cost unmanned platforms complicate adversary decision-making.

=—-=

Wrapping up the episode is Sam Vye, CEO & Founder of SYOS Aerospace regarding the company's range of autonomous unmanned vehicles covering the air, land, sea, and subsurface domains, which focus on providing industry leading capability at an affordable price point. We explore its modular software approach, the strategic partnership with Starboard Maritime Intelligence, and expansion into Australia with a focus on providing long term capability development.

Link:

Sentinel Mission: Redwing Glider Launches Historic Global Ocean Expedition

www.teledynemarine.com/sentinelmission

Teledyne FLIR...

In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick, Nigel Pittaway and Kirra Davey review and discuss some of the news of interest that's occurred recently in the world of Defence.

We start with a look back at Indo-Pacific 2025 event to discuss what stood out for us now that we've had some time to recover and return to regular tasks. From there we move on to discuss the recent news about DroneShield's directors selling shares (lots of that info in the news feeds) and how the counter-UAS domain requires continuous innovation as systems evolve to beat the non-kinetic systems used to detect and defeat them.

This leads on to a discussion about the difficulty governments and defence forces have globally when trying to buy into new technologies given the rapid pace of change, especially in the unmanned systems domain. Cultural and procurement changes are vital but there's also the difficulty in fielding some capabilities such as long-range strike. We note that Australia's industry can, indeed, support building more capability in-country, as evidenced by South Korea and France, and note that the Australian government's purchase of CEA represents a good example of identifying a critical technology and investing in it once it has demonstrated its capability.

We wrap with a reminder that our December/January issue will be released soon with the Top 40 and plenty of other content.

Links:

ADM's Indo-Pacific 2025 Coverage

www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/the-first-day-of-indo-pacific-2025

www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/day-two-of-indo-pacific-2025

www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/day-three-of-indo-pacific-2025

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The ADM Podcast is produced by Southern Skies Media on behalf of Australian Defence Magazine, a Yaffa Media title (www.australiandefence.com.au).

The views of the people appearing on this podcast do not necessarily represent the views of Australian Defence Magazine, the Department of Defence or the guests' employer.

If you wish to use any of this podcast's audio, please contact Australian Defence Magazine via their website www.australiandefence.com.au or email them via defmag@yaffa.com.au to get involved.

ADM Podcasts are a blend of public interest journalism and sponsored content with a focus on the Defence community. Conversations with leaders and thinkers from a range of backgrounds including academia, Defence, industry, and associations. ADM Podcasts aims to educate, explain and explore some of the bigger issues around Defence.

For sponsored content opportunities, please contact ADM Associate Publisher Kylie Leonard and/or National Sales Manager Michael Flanagan.

Hosted by Grant McHerron

Producer: Steve Visscher

Australian Defence Magazine - © 2025

In this episode, Grant McHerron talks with Andrew Chapman, Director - Aerospace, and Christopher "Planko" Plain, Business Development & Strategy Manager, at BAE Systems Australia about sustaining the RAAF's F-35 and Hawk aircraft along with supplying Aviation Technical Training in Wagga Wagga.

We begin our discussion by reviewing BAE System’s current expansion of facilities to support the F-35, how Andrew and Christopher’s careers prepared them for their roles, and the modernisation of the Hawks so they can be utilised to train pilots for the F-35. We get an insight into the evolution of the training program, the current methods and equipment being utilised to improve training, and assess the balance between live and synthetic training. Our discussion gives us an insight into how training is continuously improved, the preparation for future technologies such as UAV’s, and the changes seen by pilots in the cockpit.

We wrap up with an overview of the Aviation Technical Training Academy and how it is preparing defence personnel to undertake aircraft maintenance and support across the Australian Defence Force.

Links:

BAE Systems Australia

www.baesystems.com/en-aus

BAE Systems Australia's Aviation Services

www.baesystems.com/en-aus/what-we-do/air

This episode has been sponsored by BAE Systems.

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The ADM Podcast is produced by Southern Skies Media on behalf of Australian Defence Magazine, a Yaffa Media title (www.australiandefence.com.au).

The views of the people appearing on this podcast do not necessarily represent the views of Australian Defence Magazine, the Department of Defence or the guests' employer.

If you wish to use any of this podcast's audio, please contact Australian Defence Magazine via their website www.australiandefence.com.au or email them via defmag@yaffa.com.au to get involved.

ADM Podcasts are a blend of public interest journalism and sponsored content with a focus on the Defence community. Conversations with leaders and thinkers from a range of backgrounds including academia, Defence, industry, and associations. ADM Podcasts aims to educate, explain and explore some of the bigger issues around Defence.

For sponsored content opportunities, please contact ADM Associate Publisher Kylie Leonard and/or National Sales Manager Michael Flanagan.

Hosted by Grant McHerron

Producer: Steve Visscher

Australian Defence Magazine - © 2025

In this episode, Grant McHerron, Ewen Levick, Nigel Pittaway and Kirra Davey provide their overview of the themes they've observed across the IndoPac 2025 event.

There have been many noteworthy announcements but we do acknowledge the implications of the combat system partnership between BAE Systems, Raytheon Australia, General Dynamics Mission Systems and Thales. There's also the local manufacture of foreign systems to provide an additional source for global markets while also increasing Australia's ability to manufacture items when supply lines are delayed or blocked.

Another major item is New Zealand's ANZAC class Frigate replacement which is in its early stages and may be delayed if New Zealand wants to maximise its investment on the recent ship capability upgrade that has been rolled out. There's also the potential for TKMS to deliver new MEKO A200 ships, via their Renner Group partners, to the German Navy as an interim capability, which could see the first of those ships arriving before Australia receives its first Mogami.

As many companies are now moving to sustainment instead of acquisition, there's also plenty of opportunities for SMEs with innovative solutions while autonomy is now a standard component of any vehicle design, we just need Defence to start introducing them into service. Meanwhile issues with supply chains are being resolved and GWEO is getting into gear.

We wrap with a discussion of the second Women's Walk held on Day 3 of IndoPac25, the observation that anyone with a defence.gov.au email address needs to get in contact with the Defence Library for help with transitioning to the new internal mailing system, and a reminder that the ADM Sustainment Summit is going to be in Canberra towards the end of the month.

Links:

Day Three of Indo-Pacific 2025

www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/day-three-of-indo-pacific-2025

Women in Defence Network

admwomenindefencenetwork.com.au

ADM Sustainment Summit

admevents.com.au/adm-sustainment-summit

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The ADM Podcast is produced by Southern Skies Media on behalf of Australian Defence Magazine, a Yaffa Media title (www.australiandefence.com.au).

The views of the people appearing on this podcast do not necessarily represent the views of Australian Defence Magazine, the Department of Defence or the guests' employer.

If you wish to use any of this podcast's audio, please contact Australian Defence Magazine via their website www.australiandefence.com.au or email them via defmag@yaffa.com.au to get involved.

ADM Podcasts are a blend of public interest journalism and sponsored content with a focus on the Defence community. Conversations with leaders and thinkers from a range of backgrounds including academia, Defence, industry, and associations. ADM Podcasts aims to educate, explain and explore some of the bigger issues around Defence.

For sponsored content opportunities, please contact ADM Associate Publisher Kylie Leonard and/or National Sales Manager Michael Flanagan.

Hosted by Grant McHerron

Producer: Steve Visscher

Australian Defence Magazine - © 2025