Australian Firm Advanced Navigation Secures Major Contract with Hanwha for Inertial Guidance Systems

In a significant achievement for Australian industry, Advanced Navigation has entered into an agreement with Korean defence giant Hanwha to provide cutting-edge inertial navigation systems for a variety of Hanwha’s military applications.

“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Hanwha Australia, where we will supply inertial navigation systems for their Redback vehicles under the Land 400 program,” said Chris Shaw, CEO of Advanced Navigation, in an announcement to Breaking Defence. The deal, valued at AUD $8.7 million (USD $5.8 million), is seen as a substantial boost to Australia’s efforts to build sovereign defence capabilities.

The Redback, an infantry fighting vehicle designed to replace Australia’s outdated M113 fleet, is part of a broader AUD $5-7 billion (USD $3.38 billion) contract that Hanwha won in July 2023. In addition to this deal, Advanced Navigation’s precision guidance technology may soon be deployed across Hanwha’s global platforms, potentially increasing the Australian firm’s business by as much as 400%. However, no immediate contract has been confirmed for the broader agreement.

Advanced Navigation specializes in fibre-optic inertial guidance systems enhanced by artificial intelligence, delivering high-accuracy navigation even in environments where GPS signals are jammed or spoofed. This capability has become critical, particularly in light of recent conflicts like the war in Ukraine, where electronic warfare has rendered traditional precision-guided munitions less effective. For example, Ukraine has seen a sharp decline in the effectiveness of Excalibur artillery, a Western precision munition, with reports suggesting its success rate fell below 10%, despite its hefty cost of $160,000 per unit.

Shaw also indicated that Advanced Navigation’s systems are currently in use by Ukrainian forces, though he did not disclose specific details.

Mike Smith, CEO of Hanwha Defence US, underscored the significance of this collaboration: “Navigation warfare has become one of the most potent means to level the playing field on the battlefield. It has the potential to be one of the most far-reaching non-lethal effects in modern military history.”

The partnership between Advanced Navigation and Hanwha includes plans to co-develop advanced inertial navigation systems for autonomous, airborne, and crewed platforms across both land and air domains. The deal also opens the door for co-production opportunities in any market where Hanwha’s defence units operate, signalling a potentially global reach for this new collaboration.