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Melbourne-based Australian tactical, high-power laser manufacturer AIM Defence has announced two new appointments and its international expansion, with the opening of a Canadian subsidiary in Vancouver, BC.
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AIM Defence has also appointed experienced company director and former Australian government senior adviser Jenelle Frewen to the newly created role of director of strategic initiatives. In this role, Frewen will lead AIM’s Australian and international engagement, encompassing external partnerships, communications and stakeholder relations.
Meanwhile, digital technology leader Evan Digby will lead AIM’s Canadian operations in Vancouver, serving as a director of the Canadian subsidiary and AIM’s distributed systems research fellow.
Digby brings more than two decades of software engineering, innovation and deep-tech experience to AIM Defence. He is a former principal software engineer with Microsoft, where he led teams building the distributed systems for the global blockbuster Microsoft 365 platform.
Previously, Digby worked on hyper-scale real-time bidding networks and on the MDA Space’s satellite and search and rescue programs.
AIM Defence co-CEO Dr Jae Daniel welcomed the new appointments and their impact on the company’s international ambitions, saying: “While our highest priority is our Australian defence customers and research partnerships, attending the Canadian Sandbox demonstrated how much our nations’ militaries have in common, so it’s a natural next step for AIM to establish a Canadian base which in future will support Canadian and NATO force.”
AIM’s expansion into Canada follows the commitment in August by the Australian and Canadian defence ministers to strengthen the two nation’s defence relationship, including through arrangements to facilitate value-added defence and industrial activities, collaboration on advanced capabilities, and the combining of innovation ecosystems.
International interest in AIM Defence’s laser technology has skyrocketed since the company won a Canadian military counter-drone technology contest in June this year. The competition was open to companies from Five Eyes allies and NATO member states, with CAD$1 million prizemoney offered to the winner.
AIM Defence co-CEO Jessica Glenn said: “As AIM continues to scale on the back of Fractl orders and international interest, we welcome Evan and Jenelle to our executive leadership team. Both are long-term advisers to AIM. Their respective experience in the technology and government sectors will be invaluable as we expand internationally and ramp up production.”
The Australian Defence Force is the first customer to acquire AIM Defence’s Fractl counter-drone system, taking ownership of three high-power laser units earlier this year.
AIM Defence designs and manufactures compact, accurate and smart tactical laser systems to surgically strike and defeat weaponised and surveillance drones. Fusing AI-enabled precision tracking with best-in-class “hard-kill” laser technology, the Fractl suite of counter-drone systems delivers millimetre target accuracy from a distance of 1.5 kilometres on drones moving at 100 kph.
AIM Defence operates the largest indoor laser testing range in the southern hemisphere from its advanced manufacturing headquarters in Melbourne, Australia.
