A Future Made in Australia: C2 Robotics and Thales Australia advance partnership in support of sovereign autonomous maritime systems
C2 Robotics and Thales Australia have announced a partnership to integrate Thales’ sovereign sensor technology into the Australian-made C2 Robotics Speartooth Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (LUUV).
Thales Australia’s locally designed and developed sonar sensors and processing will enhance Speartooth’s ability to navigate autonomously at long range with higher levels of safety, reliability and precision. This will enhance customers’ trust in Speartooth and increase the range of missions it can perform.
Thales’ extensive industrial footprint, coupled with its sovereign technology expertise, will enable its sonar solutions to be scaled appropriately for performance and cost when integrated into the Speartooth LUUV. This will allow C2 Robotics to achieve its goal of delivering an affordable, long-range platforms that can be produced at scale in Australia.
“Collaborating with Thales, whose proficiency in sonar and acoustic payloads is world renowned, has the potential to accelerate Speartooth’s capabilities and footprint on an AUKUS stage. Most importantly, all of the sensors and electronics that will be integrated with Speartooth under this agreement are designed and produced locally at Thales’ Acoustics Centre of Excellence, Rydalmere, Sydney. This aligns with C2 Robotics’ approach of ensuring supply chain resilience and generating mass based on Australian industry.” Dr Tom Loveard, Chief Technology Officer, C2 Robotics
“This exciting partnership represents a significant opportunity to develop Australia’s sovereign autonomous maritime capability by leveraging the expertise of an innovative Australian SME. C2 Robotics have been collaborating with Navy for several years on Speartooth and in that time they have demonstrated the maturity of the vessel. We are very pleased to be able to support C2 Robotics’ focus on manufacturing scalability and their speed to capability ethos.” Troy Stephen, Vice President Underwater Systems, Thales Australia and New Zealand.
“The Royal Australian Navy is very supportive of this partnership. It’s a great example of Australian Defence Industry collaborating to advance our maritime uncrewed systems” Commodore Michael Turner, RAN, Director General Maritime Integrated Systems.
The announcement was made during the Royal Australian Navy’s recent Exercise Autonomous Warrior Maritime Big Play 2024 that took place at Jervis Bay in October 2024. The exercise tested a range of autonomous technologies below and on the surface of the ocean and includes C2 Robotics’ Speartooth LUUV.
About C2 Robotics
C2 Robotics is a leader in robotics, autonomous systems and artificial intelligence based in Melbourne, Australia. Innovation, rapid concept development and iterative prototype fielding is at their core, with a key focus on developing innovative systems across the maritime, land and air domains. Their team is comprised of a group of highly experienced industry veterans and a leadership team that includes founders of previous highly successful defence and aerospace companies in the fields of AI and robotics.
About Thales Australia
Thales in Australia and New Zealand is a trusted partner of the Australian Defence Force across the Land, Sea and Air environment. Thales employs over 4,300 people in Australia, and supports over 2,000 jobs along its Australian supply chain. A global leader in underwater sensors, Thales Australia has a proud 40+ year history of designing and manufacturing specialised sonar and acoustic products in support of Australia and its closest allies.