Thales Australia develops BladeHAUL autonomous big-rig truck for battlefield logistics
Thales Australia is working on autonomy features for a new heavy cargo robot called BladeHAUL, capable of carrying a 20-foot container or serving as a large mobile battery in the field, Defense News reports. The vehicle is based on a commercial big-rig platform and is intended to reduce the need for human drivers in contested logistics zones. Thales has not disclosed a customer or fielding timeline.
Why it matters: A 20-foot container holds 20 tonnes — autonomous logistics at that scale removes the single biggest manpower constraint in expeditionary operations.
U.S. Navy awards HII $56 million for AUKUS submarine design and engineering support
The U.S. Navy awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding a $56.2 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering and technical support on nuclear-powered submarines for AUKUS partners Australia and the United Kingdom. Foreign partner funds cover the full cost.
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U.S. State Department approves possible $300 million Tomahawk mission-planning system sale to Australia
The U.S. State Department has approved a potential $300 million Foreign Military Sale to Australia covering a Theater Mission Planning Center and associated communications systems for Tomahawk cruise missile strikes. The package adds mission-planning capability to the long-range missiles the Royal Australian Navy began acquiring in 2023.
Thales and German firm STARK to fit Cascade loitering munition to Bushmaster armoured vehicle
Thales Australia and Germany's STARK have signed a memorandum of understanding to integrate STARK's Cascade loitering munition onto the Bushmaster armoured vehicle. Thales says the system can hit targets up to 100 km away, giving the Australian-built platform a launcher for one-way attack drones.
Thales to deploy air traffic control radar in Faroe Islands for Danish Ministry of Defence
Thales has been selected by DALO, the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation, to supply and deploy an advanced air traffic control radar in the Faroe Islands. The contract supports Danish military air operations in the North Atlantic region.