Latest news with #AustralianInternationalAirshow
The Star
5 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Anduril secures $30.5 billion valuation in latest fund raise
The Anduril logo is displayed at its stand at the Australian International Airshow in Avalon, Australia March 25, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo (Reuters) -Defense technology startup Anduril Industries has clinched a valuation of $30.5 billion in its latest funding round where it raised $2.5 billion, the company said on Thursday. This round more than doubled the Palmer Luckey-founded company's valuation, from $14 billion last year when it raised $1.5 billion. The development confirms a Reuters report from February, which said Anduril was in talks to raise as much as $2.5 billion, with tech billionaire Peter Thiel's Founders Fund set to lead the round. Anduril said on Thursday that Founders Fund made a $1 billion investment, while all other investors raised their commitments from previous rounds in the Series G fund raise. Founders Fund has backed Anduril since its inception in 2017, and one of the company's co-founders, Trae Stephens, is a partner at the firm. Anduril develops solutions, including a wide range of sensors and drones, and has gained prominence in the industry amid increasing calls for low-cost autonomous defense products. The company has also recently secured a partnership with Palantir Technologies to form a consortium that will look to jointly bid for government contracts as the Pentagon aims to reduce costs. (Reporting by Utkarsh Shetti in Bengaluru; Editing by Mohammed Safi Shamsi)
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pilot in ‘Serious' Condition After Plane Hits the Ground and Shatters in Front of Shocked Crowd at Airshow: 'It was Awful'
A pilot has been seriously injured after crashing during the Australian International Airshow. The accident happened on the first public day of the show at Avalon, southwest of Melbourne on Friday, March 28, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The plane appeared to fall in a loop before crashing into the tarmac at around 5:15 p.m. local time in a video shared by the outlet and au. A spokesperson from Ambulance Victoria told ABC that the pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, suffered critical injuries. Related: Pilot and His Dog Swim Safely to Shore After Plane Crashes in the Ocean The pilot was airlifted to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, having sustained injuries to his upper and lower body, per The Sydney Morning Herald. The plane is believed to be part of the Paul Bennett Aerobatics team, the outlet reported. PEOPLE has contacted Victoria Ambulance, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Victoria Police and the Paul Bennett Aerobatics team for comment. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. A statement from the Australian International Airshow obtained by PEOPLE said, 'The Avalon Australian International Airshow confirms that an incident occurred this afternoon involving a single aerobatic display aircraft. 'The aircraft was conducting and aerobatic maneuver and hit the ground. The pilot is in a serious but stable condition and has been transferred to hospital for treatment," the statement continued. 'The incident occurred well away from the crowds in attendance and no member of the public was Injured.' The show 'concluded the day's activities to allow the Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation team to have full and free access to the site," the statement said. 'We are continuing with preparations to recommence the airshow tomorrow morning, subject to confirmation this evening,' the statement added. 'Our thoughts are with the pilot and his family, friends and team members.' Related: Fighter Jet Crash at Alaska Air Force Base Caught on Camera as Pilot Ejects at Last Minute Student pilot Taj Cooper, 20, told The Sydney Morning Herald that many were shocked that the pilot was still alive after witnessing the crash. "We've watched and seen quite a lot of aviation incidents ... and we talked to each other that I hope he does survive, but that was a really hard crash landing,' he said. Cooper added that the crowd went into applause when it was confirmed that the pilot had survived. Spectator Geoff Crane told ABC that there were four planes flying at the time, with one lower than the other three. "I was sort of more watching the three, but the one that was by itself caught my eye," Crane said, before adding of the accident, "It was awful. They were telling us on the commentary that the team of four pilots are all family." Avalon Airshow organiser the AMDA Foundation told The Sydney Morning Herald in a statement that the show would resume on Saturday. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Australia air force pilots also heard Chinese navy live-fire warning on radio
By Kirsty Needham AVALON, Australia (Reuters) - The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), monitoring a Chinese navy warship as it circumnavigated Australia last month, heard it warn it would use live fire in its exercises on a civilian radio broadcast, defence pilots said on Tuesday. A People's Liberation Army Navy frigate conducted the unprecedented live-fire exercise in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand in February, causing 49 commercial flights to be rerouted. China has said it gave adequate warning about the drill under international law, but Australian and New Zealand authorities said it fell short of best practice for notifications. Commercial airlines first heard about the live-fire drill when a Virgin Australia pilot picked up a Chinese navy broadcast on the 121.5 MHz emergency radio channel. Ahead of a national election due by May, opposition Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton criticised the Labor government for "a situation where our national maritime surveillance was outsourced to a Virgin airline pilot". At the Australian International Airshow in Avalon on Tuesday, RAAF maritime surveillance pilots said Australia's P-8A Poseidon were flying "high duration, high frequency sorties" and monitoring the Chinese navy warship's transmissions on UHF and VHF at the time, in details that had not previously been made public. "The transmissions that came through are just standard warnings of their positions as well as their intent of live-fire exercises," said P-8A Poseidon flying officer Patrick Makeham. He described this as "similar to saying that we will be conducting live firing exercise in those areas". Air Commodore Gus Porter, director-general of RAAF air combat capability, said the P-8A aircraft were used for anti-submarine warfare and to deter aggression. "You don't need to be on top of a task group 24 hours a day to be tracking exactly what they are doing," he added. The RAAF P-8A aircraft conduct routine surveillance patrols in international waters in the South China Sea, which China has criticised. Australia last month complained to China over what it was "unsafe and unprofessional" actions by a Chinese fighter jet releasing flares within 30 metres (100 feet) of an Australian P-8A aircraft.
Reuters
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Australia air force pilots also heard Chinese navy live-fire warning on radio
AVALON, Australia, March 25 (Reuters) - The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), monitoring a Chinese navy warship as it circumnavigated Australia last month, heard it warn it would use live fire in its exercises on a civilian radio broadcast, defence pilots said on Tuesday. A People's Liberation Army Navy frigate conducted the unprecedented live-fire exercise in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand in February, causing 49 commercial flights to be rerouted. China has said it gave adequate warning about the drill under international law, but Australian and New Zealand authorities said it fell short of best practice for notifications. Commercial airlines first heard about the live-fire drill when a Virgin Australia pilot picked up a Chinese navy broadcast on the 121.5 MHz emergency radio channel. Ahead of a national election due by May, opposition Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton criticised the Labor government for "a situation where our national maritime surveillance was outsourced to a Virgin airline pilot". At the Australian International Airshow in Avalon on Tuesday, RAAF maritime surveillance pilots said Australia's P-8A Poseidon were flying "high duration, high frequency sorties" and monitoring the Chinese navy warship's transmissions on UHF and VHF at the time, in details that had not previously been made public. "The transmissions that came through are just standard warnings of their positions as well as their intent of live-fire exercises," said P-8A Poseidon flying officer Patrick Makeham. He described this as "similar to saying that we will be conducting live firing exercise in those areas". Air Commodore Gus Porter, director-general of RAAF air combat capability, said the P-8A aircraft were used for anti-submarine warfare and to deter aggression. "You don't need to be on top of a task group 24 hours a day to be tracking exactly what they are doing," he added. The RAAF P-8A aircraft conduct routine surveillance patrols in international waters in the South China Sea, which China has criticised. Australia last month complained to China over what it was "unsafe and unprofessional" actions by a Chinese fighter jet releasing flares within 30 metres (100 feet) of an Australian P-8A aircraft.
