Latest news with #Brose
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Anduril announces lighter, smaller Pulsar jammer
Defense technology firm Anduril Industries on Tuesday rolled out a lighter, more mobile version of its Pulsar electronic warfighter system, designed to track and take out enemy targets, including drone swarms. The software-driven signal jammer, Pulsar-L, comes in two configurations — airborne and expeditionary. The company unveiled its first three Pulsar variants last year: Pulsar-V, which is a vehicle version; Pulsar Alpha, which is airborne; and a fixed-site configuration. The primary differentiator between those variants and Pulsar-L is size, weight and power, Anduril's Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer Chris Brose told reporters Monday. The smaller system is about the size of a shoebox and weighs less than 25 pounds. 'Think of Pulsar-L as a smaller form factor that's going to extend that capability even farther out to the tactical edge onboard platforms and weapon systems,' Brose said. Pulsar-L is already being used in operations and was first fielded last year. Brose declined to tell reporters where it's stationed, but noted the system is 'participating in real-world operations in the most stressing EW environments.' Brose touted the speed at which the Anduril developed Pulsar-L, saying it took just eight months to move from the concept phase to fielding, largely because of the company's common hardware and software platforms. Pulsar-L can operate independently or with Anduril's Lattice software, is user-friendly and can be set up in a matter of minutes, officials said. The company is pitching the system as an alternative to clunkier EW capabilities that it described in a press release as 'rigid, manual, cumbersome and threat-specific.' The system's usability is closely tied to its autonomous technology, according to Sam El-Akkad, general manager of radio frequency and EW systems. 'All the operator needs to do, they can put it in an autonomous mode where it ingests the spectrum, figures out what's out there, decides what's a threat and what's not and then engages those things,' he said in the briefing with Brose. 'It all happens magically under the hood.' With the first units fielded, Anduril is focused on ramping up production. El-Akkad said the firm plans to produce more than 100 low-rate initial production units by the end of this year, with a goal of scaling to thousands of Pulsar-L jammers annually in the next few years. Brose declined to name Anduril's early Pulsar-L buyers, but the company has been awarded several contracts in recent years for similar technologies. Last October, an undisclosed Defense Department bought an unspecified number of Pulsar jammers as part of a $250 million counter-drone package that included 500 all-up rounds of Anduril's Roadrunner interceptor. The firm is also on a 10-year, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract worth up to $1 billion with U.S. Special Operations Command to supply counter-drone hardware and software, including Pulsar, Lattice, Sentry Tower and its Anvil interceptor.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hoppy Easter! Bunnies become animal ambassadors at Phoenix Zoo to promote proper pet care
Three new bunnies at the Phoenix Zoo were hopping into a bigger role. After being recently adopted from the Arizona Humane Society, the bunnies — Pepper, Lavender and Benjamin — were being asked to help promote proper pet care by taking on the position of animal ambassadors in training, the zoo announced April 18, just in time for Easter. Through the animal ambassador program, the zoo hoped to inspire and encourage people to care about the planet and nature. For the newly promoted ambassadors in training, they will be tasked with helping to educate the community about rabbits. 'They will be going out on programs, so they get to represent the zoo for people who can't make it to the zoo,' Beckey Mansel of the Phoenix Zoo said in a video posted to Facebook. 'So, they're going to go to schools, they're going to go to libraries, they're going to go out and about and give people opportunities to meet these animals up close.' By connecting the animals to the community, the animal ambassadors can help people understand the species' natural history and see what responsible pet ownership looks like, Shelby Brose, the Humane Society's senior manager of education and outreach, said. Rabbits, according to Brose, are oftentimes misunderstood animals. 'There's a lot of misconceptions about rabbits, and one of the biggest ones is the overall care that they require," Brose said. 'Oftentimes, people think that rabbits are very much a starter pet, something you can set and forget, when in fact their care requirements are more comparable to that of a cat or a dog.' According to the society, a pet rabbit should have a large enclosure so it can nest. It also needs daily exercise and a healthy diet, comprising hay, pellets and leafy greens. Carrots should also be given as treats. Rabbits can make great house pets, are social, and can be trained to do, 'Fun and exciting natural behaviors,' Brose stated. But before bringing a rabbit home, she encouraged families to study up on its needs and care requirements. 'The opportunity for Pepper, Lavender and Benjamin to be Animal Ambassadors and live together at the Phoenix Zoo is a great fit for them," said Brose. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 3 bunnies named Phoenix Zoo ambassadors, just in time for Easter
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Anduril says drone maker sees good 'vibes' from new Trump Pentagon
AVALON, March 26 (Reuters) - Anduril President Christian Brose said the AI-powered defense start-up, whose founder left Facebook over his early support of Donald Trump, has good "vibes" about the Trump administration's shakeup of defense and willingness to do things differently. Brose, who previously worked for Republican Senator John McCain, said Anduril was well positioned because the work it is doing on low-cost autonomous defense systems "seemingly align with the assumptions and proclivities the new administration is bringing." The company announced in January it will invest nearly $1 billion in a Pickaway County factory near Rickenbacker International Airport that will employ 4,000 workers making drones and other weapons for the military. Anduril said in December it would partner with OpenAI to deploy advanced artificial intelligence solutions for national security missions. More on drone contractor Anduril : Military drone contractor Anduril plans Ohio factory that will employ 4,000 workers Brose has been critical of defense procurement, and said the Trump administration shared this frustration. "There's a huge opportunity and seemingly a lot of willingness on the part of the new Trump administration to do things differently," he said in an interview at the Australian International Air Show on Wednesday. "We have relationships with the current administration - it's not secret that our founder has given money to Trump and is very supportive of Trump and has been for a very long time,' he said, referring to founder Palmer Luckey. "At the level of vibes, it's good," he added. The Pentagon last month directed U.S. military leaders to draw up a list of potential defense budget cuts totaling about $50 billion. "Its not clear that the reported 8% reduction is actually a desire to reduce the defense budget or a desire to harvest money that can then be repurposed into new and different types of military capabilities," Brose said. Anduril is building a mass manufacturing factory for its autonomous systems in Ohio, and Brose said the company plans to build more outside the United States, which could include Australia if there was a business case. The Australian Defence Force is trialling Anduril's AI intrusion detection software at RAAF Base Darwin, a northern installation where U.S. Marines are hosted for six months of the year. Anduril Australia has also bid to manufacture solid rocket motors for the Australian Defence Department's Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise, Anduril Australia chief executive David Goodrich said. Anduril developed the Ghost Shark underwater autonomous machine with the Australian Defence Force, and Goodrich said the company hopes to make announcements soon on "at-scale production". Anduril is working on a facility in New South Wales for production ahead of any contract, he said. Under the AUKUS treaty, the United States and Britain will work to transfer nuclear-powered submarine technology to Australia, which will spend more than A$360 billion over several decades to build a new class of sub in Australia. Brose said it was "both, not an either/or" when it came to defense investment in crewed submarines and autonomous machines. "The benefit of autonomous systems like Ghost Shark is they deliver a lot faster, you can produce them in far larger quantities and far lower prices," he said. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Anduril drone president says company is well positioned with Pentagon
