Ian Sephton

Anduril Industries announced plans to open a large new campus in Long Beach, significantly expanding its Southern California footprint to support growing demand from the U.S. military and allied partners. While the company’s headquarters will remain in Costa Mesa, the Long Beach site will span approximately 1.18 million square feet, combining office space with industrial facilities dedicated to research, development, testing, and production. Designed to support Anduril’s integrated development model, the campus will bring software engineers, hardware teams, and flight-test operations together in one location, with on-site machine shops and fabrication capabilities to speed up iteration and delivery. The facility is expected to be operational by mid-2027 and, at full capacity, will support roughly 5,500 direct employees, along with thousands of additional jobs through construction and supporting services. Located in the region often called “Space Beach,” the campus builds on Long Beach’s deep historical roots in U.S. defense, aerospace, and industrial manufacturing. https://lnkd.in/ese8-9UH #Anduril #DefenseTechnology #Aerospace #NationalSecurity #Manufacturing #DefenseInnovation #SpaceBeach #DefenseIndustry

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As a sponsor of today’s Good in the Hood Festival, PSU’s Board of Trustees Chair (Ben Berry) will present and underscore the pivotal role of Portland State University (PSU) as Oregon's premier urban public research institution. Established in 1946, PSU is dedicated to fostering diversity, promoting social mobility, and addressing critical regional challenges. The university serves a substantial number of minority students and is committed to bridging equity gaps in education.  More than 80% of our students come from within Oregon.  And, as a minority serving institution, we are proud to serve more Black, Pacific Islander and Latiné students than any other public university in Oregon. Societal challenges are part of PSU's commitment to solving some of Oregon's most pressing issues through its research initiatives: Housing and Homelessness: Addressing issues related to housing and homelessness is a significant focus for Portland State University's research portfolio. Air Quality: Improving air quality is another pressing issue that PSU is working to solve. Clean Water: Ensuring access to clean water is highlighted as a critical regional challenge. Berry’s presentation highlights the significant contributions of PSU's Black Studies program and its guiding principle, "Let Knowledge Serve the City."  The presentation concludes with an invitation to celebrate community and diversity

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More strong news from HawkEye 360 this week. The NRO and CSPO have expanded their support with new dedicated funding, reinforcing HawkEye’s role as a critical provider of commercial RF intelligence for US national security. This continued partnership, first established in 2022, highlights how vital commercial space capabilities have become for real-time operational decision-making. The new funding will drive further advances in satellite technology, broader signal coverage, and deeper AI integration, directly supporting EUCOM and allied mission readiness. This comes just days after HawkEye 360 unveiled its new AI-enabled maritime monitoring capability, strengthening its ability to deliver precise, actionable intelligence across increasingly contested domains. Congratulations to the entire HawkEye 360 team. Full story: https://lnkd.in/eqiJcbX9 #SeraphimSpace #DualUse #Space #NationalSecurity #SpaceTech #Intelligence #DefenseTech

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Daily Hard Tech Headlines: - Poseidon Aerospace has raised an $11 million seed round led by Tamarack Global. The Bay Area startup is developing autonomous cargo planes and currently operates two platforms: Egret, a fixed-wing aircraft with short takeoff and landing capabilities for regional air cargo, and Heron, a runway-independent seaplane designed for maritime and inter-island logistics. - CX2 has unveiled Vadris, an RF-tracking payload for FPV drones that detects and locates signal sources during missions. The system is currently in testing with the U.S. military and is built for COTS Group 1 drones. - Blue Water Autonomy Inc. has announced the successful testing of its full-scale autonomous vessel for maritime defense. The company has already completed hundreds of hours of testing on the East Coast, according to Business Insider. - Modal Motors, a Michigan-based startup founded by Michael Van Steenburg, has raised a $2 million seed round to scale production of its next-generation electric motors. - Allen Control Systems has secured contracts with South Korea and the UAE to deploy its Bullfrog counter-UAS autonomous weapon platform. The company is opening new offices in Asia and Europe and has an MOU with Romania for local production. - Zabidou has raised a $1.3M pre-seed round to develop laser-based vision systems for manufacturing robots - Kodiak, the autonomous trucking company, has announced over 3,000 autonomous deliveries in support of Atlas Energy Solutions. - Pelion Venture Partners has invested in Creekstone Energy’s Giga Site in Delta, Utah, which is projected to become the world’s largest AI data center campus. - Grid Aero has secured an LOI from Everts Air Cargo, an essential air service operator in Alaska. The company will deploy its Lifter Lite aircraft to enhance freight and fuel logistics across the state’s most remote regions. - Allie - AI for Manufacturing has raised $5.2 million. The company is developing a manufacturing intelligence platform. - Logan Jones has joined Oshkosh’s Transport segment, which supports Oshkosh Defense and Oshkosh Delivery, as Chief Growth Officer. - TPG is acquiring PTC’s Kepware and ThingWorx businesses, combining industrial connectivity and IoT application platforms serving manufacturing, energy, and utilities markets. - Andreessen Horowitz has launched its Fall American Dynamism Tour through the College Talent Program, driving more students into hard tech. The first stop was at the University of Michigan, featuring Justin Lopas, COO and Co-Founder of Base Power Company, and Erin Price-Wright, General Partner at a16z’s American Dynamism fund. - Qunnect, the quantum network hardware startup for telecom, is expanding to Albuquerque, New Mexico. - Splash Industries successfully participated in JIFX at Camp Roberts, using the event to refine the Typhoon’s autonomous high-speed maneuvering and test its integration with Dedrone by Axon’s RF-560 system.

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From Tools to Capabilities: The Shift Defense Robotics Must Make As I head into #DisruptorsInTheDesert, one theme I’m looking forward to engaging on is this: Shift from platforms to mission outcomes. The future of defense robotics - particularly for SOF teams operating at the tactical edge - will not be defined by airframes. It will be defined by the integrated system around them. That shift rests on three pillars: 1. Human–Machine Interface Operators should command effects, not manage joysticks. Interfaces must compress cognitive load and enable intuitive control of multiple assets under stress. 2. AI Orchestration & Autonomy Swarm logic. Mission-level autonomy. Real-time decision support. The advantage is no longer in flying one vehicle, it is in coordinating many as a unified capability. 3. Fielding Precision at Speed and in Mass In today’s fight, advantage belongs to those who can deliver integrated lethality to the tactical edge - rapidly, and at scale. In short: Drones won’t win. Scalable capability will. Looking forward to engaging policymakers, builders, operators, and investors on how we accelerate this transition. #DefenseTech #Autonomy #HumanMachineTeaming #SOF #AI #IndustrialBase #DroneDominance 

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What do undersea drones and hybrid tugboats have in common? They’re both being built in Los Angeles. Anduril Industries is pushing defense tech into new territory, while Arc is electrifying commercial marine work with a $160M contract. More in this week’s spotlight 👉 https://lnkd.in/gQqSeAEj

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Taft aerospace and defense attorneys Shawn Cheadle and John Gordon sat down with Katherine Jerald 🎙, the host of the podcast “Mission Critical: Defense Recruiting,” for an insightful conversation on compliance for aerospace and defense startups. Catch the full podcast episode here: https://bit.ly/4jlPHCb

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❓𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰’𝐬 𝐂𝐄𝐎? 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞—𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐄𝐫𝐞𝐧 Ö𝐳𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 🧹 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞. 𝐍𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞—𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐭, 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞. 👩🏻‍💻 𝐄𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐡, 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐲 𝐒𝐍𝐂. Today, SNC (Sierra Nevada Corporation) is a leader in aerospace and national security—a $5B+ powerhouse built from the ground up. Not a fairy tale, but proof that anything is possible. From sweeping floors… 💼 𝐓𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦… 🏦 𝐓𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲. Here’s what most people miss: Careers don’t climb straight up. Growth zigs and zags. Those who learn from every role become tomorrow’s leaders. Eren Özmen’s legacy wasn’t luck. She created it. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭: – 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. – 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. – 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭. In a world chasing shortcuts, her story is a battle cry: 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. Who shows you greatness can start anywhere? 🎯 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 ��𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬? 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐞, Maria Cecilia Conder, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. Video Credits: All rights are reserved to the rightful owner. Please DM for credits or removal. #Leadership #Inspiration #Careers #Motivation #WomenInBusiness #SuccessStories #FromJanitorToCEO #ErenOzmen #Aerospace #Resilience #India #LinkedIn #GrowthMindset

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Great news for Arizona’s Aerospace & Defense Sector! Blackstar Orbital has recently secured a $1.9 million contract from the U.S. Space Force’s innovation arm, SpaceWERX. This capability will provide a critical advantage for the United States Space Force (USSF) for satellite survivability and national deterrence. Blackstar Orbital will work towards developing a prototype of their proprietary reusable “spaceplane” platform with a new research and manufacturing facility in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Great strides in advancing technologies! Stay tuned.

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