Advanced Navigation, a world leader in Assured Position, Navigation, and Timing (APNT) and autonomous systems, has strengthened its defence presence in the United States by appointing Wayne Prender as the Global Head of Defence.
This strategic move underscores the Australian company’s commitment to deepening technological collaboration between the US and Australia, the company said in a media release.
“It’s a fantastic win for our business to have recruited Wayne at this pivotal moment of growth,” said Christopher McNamara, Advanced Navigation’s Chief Revenue Officer.
He continued, “Drawn from his decades of field experience, Wayne brings not only deep domain expertise in uncrewed systems but also an exceptional understanding of the problems warfighters face. His appointment is a logical step in our strategy to partner with global defence firms and militaries as we tackle their most pressing APNT challenges.”
Prender brings over 20 years of experience in the global defence industrial base, with expertise in C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) technologies and uncrewed and robotic systems.
Prior to joining Advanced Navigation, he spent 18 years at Textron Systems, where he was Senior Vice President of Air Systems.
His tenure included leading the design, development, and sustainment of uncrewed systems and overseeing the transition of Aerosonde Pty into a successful global defence platform.
“In today’s global defence market, having cutting-edge APNT solutions is mission-critical,” Prender stated.
“The disruptive solutions that Advanced Navigation designs and delivers at speed provide the situational awareness warfighters need to act quickly and decisively, especially when traditional forms of navigation are unavailable.”
He added, “Not only does this intelligence minimise the risk of disorientation and reduce mission delays, it also ensures that mission objectives can be achieved with increased precision, survivability, and effectiveness.”
Earlier this year, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) identified PNT as one of the Critical and Emerging Technologies for bolstering national security.
A Defence Science Board Task Force has also recommended that the Pentagon increasingly rely on commercial companies for military-grade APNT solutions.
This emphasis aligns with Advanced Navigation’s expertise, particularly in fibre-optic gyroscope (FOG) technology and quantum inertial sensors.
“From counter-UAS to unmanned underwater vehicles, Advanced Navigation has been at the forefront of developing innovative and reliable APNT solutions where they are needed most,” said General (Ret.) David Petraeus, Chairman of Advanced Navigation’s Defence Advisory Board.
“Especially as defence technology cooperation and trade between Australia and the U.S. deepen under the AUKUS Pillar 2 and GWEO initiatives, the appointment of a Global Head of Defence based here in Washington, DC is the right move at the right time.”
In late 2023, Advanced Navigation opened a high-tech manufacturing facility for autonomous systems in New South Wales, Australia.
This facility enhances the secure production of navigation solutions for GPS-denied environments and supports the critical output of strategic-grade FOGs, vital for maintaining tactical superiority in the most challenging environments.
As the future of defence increasingly focuses on autonomous systems, Advanced Navigation has expanded its manufacturing capacity by opening Australia’s largest subsea robotics facility, dedicated to producing the autonomous underwater drone, Hydrus.
The drone advances underwater military intelligence, with applications in change detection, mine countermeasure, and Rapid Environment Assessment (REA).
