Aevex Exec at AUSA- Autonomous Systems ‘Here to Stay’ in Combat Ecosystem

Well, the most notable companies operating in the defense sector attended the AUSA annual meeting and exposition in our nation's capital last month. That included NYSE-listed Avex, which just received a $41.6 million contract from the US Navy. Jeanie Durkin spoke with Avex's Chief Growth officer Murali Krishnan about the work that his firm is doing and the role of autonomous solutions in the defense sector.

And I think what we've seen over the last couple of years is autonomous systems are definitely going to be here to stay. They've evolved from just niche capabilities to really what's required to operate in combat today. Uh, you know, the need to have affordable and adaptable systems is going to be uh extraordinarily important because that's going to be how militaries operate going going forward. You know, at Avex, that's uh we we think we're very well positioned to accommodate that change in warfare because we've been doing this for, you know, almost two decades now, delivering systems that have been used in combat. Uh and so we've seen that transformation firsthand and uh and and we feel really strongly about uh how we can offer to help out the war fighter.

Let's talk a little bit more about that transformation. Murali. What does it actually take to bring true to form autonomous technology from development directly to the battlefield?

Well, I think you said it really uh importantly that it has, it can't just be development, it has to be production, it has to be delivery, right? So what I call PowerPoint solutions, solutions on paper, those aren't going to work. You actually have to be able to deliver systems to be used operationally. Uh in order to do that, uh obviously you have to have systems that are adaptable. The the dynamics of warfare and the threat is evolving so quickly that you need to have systems that can accommodate that and adapt to overcome the threat. Uh but then also you need to be able to uh innovate and turn that into uh something that you can deliver to the field to to be used operationally.

And if I'm not mistaken, you're showcasing your brand new Specter system right here at AUSA, and I think it's pretty close by to where you and I are standing. What is it? What's it all about?

Yeah, we are. That's our our new Specter system. Uh, we're really proud of that. Uh, it's it's a new system that was really driven by requirements and operations uh that we've seen in combat. Uh, and it really shows not just one platform, but it shows the need for innovation and how it's critical to deliver uh platforms that can evolve and adapt. Uh, you know, that's a very uh it's a very adaptable system that can uh incorporate different payloads. It has a much longer range at a much lower price point, uh and again, driven by operational needs uh that's critically important.

Speed, scale, and affordability. How important are all three of these things to actually building these systems and really making them a reality?

Yeah, I can't I can't uh emphasize the importance enough. Speed, like I said because the the threat and the dynamics of warfare are changing so frequently and so often uh that you need to have a very tight feedback loop. Uh, you know, for example, at Avex, we've been using these systems operationally for many years. We've delivered thousands of systems that are used in combat. And so we're able to take those lessons learned, apply them, you know our engineers make changes, apply them to the factory and deliver them to the field. So that speed's important. Scale, uh critical because if you deliver one or two, it's not going to do anything. You need to be able to deliver the the quantities that are important. Uh, you know, at Avex, we've actually invested a lot in manufacturing capacity, uh built up our supply chain as well. Uh and and then uh are able to deliver at scale. But then the other part is the uh the effectivity, right? You need to be able to deliver capabilities that are useful, uh that really help out the war fighter.

To that point about investments, I got to ask you about Black Sea Technologies. What does that acquisition do to really expand your capabilities across air land as well as sea?

Yeah, we're really happy about the uh the the Black Sea family that's now part of the Avex family, Avex Maritime systems. Uh we couldn't be more happy to have them as a part of the Avex family. Uh you know, we have uh had a very strong footprint on the airborne systems. They had a very strong footprint in the surface uh systems as well. And so it truly makes Avex, uh, you know, a multi-domain autonomous system provider. The the best part about it is uh not only do we have these amazing surface uh vehicles, autonomous surface vehicles, but it allows collaboration between different domains and different platforms. The CompassX autonomy system that we have really enables that from an interoperability of the payloads, but interoperability of domains, collaboration across platforms.

Finally Murali, where do you see the biggest growth opportunities for Avex, even over the course of really just the next few years?

Well, it's going to be to continue to develop those capabilities that we can provide, uh, using that combat lessons learned. You know, we've delivered more than 9,000 systems just to Ukraine conflict alone. We've delivered uh, you know, more than 350 surface vehicles in support of the Centcom operations. And that all equates to more than 25,000 operational hours. So really taking all those lessons learned, letting the engineers make the changes, straight to the factory and then shipping those to the war fighter in a in a really uh quick fashion. That's going to be critical as we uh execute the the commitments that we've uh made today. And while we're doing that, obviously, the uh the success that uh our systems have had in real operational uh environments, it's getting a lot of support from uh other countries as well. And so not only helping to uh support the US government, but also our our partner allies as well, is something we're really going to be pushing for.