Oshkosh Defense and Grid Aero Announce Strategic Partnership
Collaboration Pairs Silicon Valley Innovation with Midwest Manufacturing Excellence to Deliver Advanced Autonomous
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Oshkosh Defense, an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] company, and Grid Aero, a Silicon Valley-based autonomous aircraft company, today announced a strategic partnership to bring cutting-edge autonomous modular payload aircraft technology into production-ready reality for America’s defense needs.
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Collaboration Pairs Silicon Valley Innovation with Midwest Manufacturing Excellence to Deliver Advanced Autonomous Logistics Capabilities
The collaboration addresses the Department of War’s urgent need for resilient, autonomous aircraft solutions in contested environments by pairing Grid Aero’s innovative approach to aircraft design with Oshkosh’s world-class manufacturing expertise, supply chain capabilities, and proven track record industrializing complex defense systems at scale.
Under the partnership, Oshkosh Defense will work with Grid Aero on design for manufacturability, production planning, supply chain optimization, and ultimately building Lifter aircraft at scale. The collaboration will leverage Oshkosh’s Wisconsin-based manufacturing infrastructure, workforce expertise, and production capacity to establish advanced autonomous systems manufacturing capability.
“This partnership represents a new model for defense innovation, bringing Silicon Valley’s transformative technology development together with the Midwest’s unmatched manufacturing capability,” said Logan Jones, Chief Growth Officer of Oshkosh Defense. “Grid Aero brings cutting-edge autonomous aircraft innovation, and Oshkosh brings the industrial capability to make it real at scale. Together, we’re addressing critical defense needs with American innovation and American manufacturing.”
“We designed our Lifter aircraft platform to bend the cost curve for long-range airpower. It is simple, rugged, piston-powered, and built from ubiquitous materials, borrowing as much from military trucks as from traditional aircraft,” said Arthur Dubois, CEO of Grid Aero. “That is what makes Oshkosh the right partner. Their manufacturing expertise and defense experience let us build at the quality, cost, and scale that today’s customers require.”
Affordable mass is a top Department of War priority. The Department has called for low-cost, Group 4 and 5 unmanned aircraft it can buy in quantity, produce at scale, and adapt across missions as payloads change. The partnership positions both companies to meet that urgent defense need while strengthening America’s defense industrial base.
The collaboration demonstrates Oshkosh’s strategic vision to be a trusted partner for industrializing next-generation defense technologies, a repeatable model for bringing innovative capabilities from development to production readiness.
Initial work under the partnership focuses on production engineering, design for manufacturing, and customer engagement, with the goal of demonstrating production-ready autonomous logistics aircraft to defense customers.
About Oshkosh Defense
Oshkosh Defense, an Oshkosh Corporation business [NYSE: OSK], delivers adaptable, connected, and survivable systems critical to the modernization and readiness of the U.S. and its allied forces. As a trusted mobility integrator, Oshkosh brings advanced vehicles, intelligent systems, and mission-critical technologies together into unified solutions built for evolving operational demands. Combining defense expertise with commercial scale, Oshkosh accelerates innovation from development through deployment. And because the mission does not end at fielding, Oshkosh provides global sustainment, lifecycle support, and aftermarket solutions that keep fleets ready while advancing the future of defense mobility.
Learn more at OshkoshDefense.com.
About Grid Aero
Grid Aero is a Silicon Valley-based company developing autonomous modular payload aircraft for contested and austere operations. The company brings modular airframe architecture that can be rapidly configured, adapted, and scaled across emerging missions to address critical defense challenges.
For more information, visit www.grid.aero
About Oshkosh Corporation
At Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK), we design, develop and deliver purpose-built vehicles, equipment and services that help everyday heroes build, serve and protect communities around the world. Headquartered in Wisconsin, Oshkosh Corporation employs over 19,000 team members worldwide, all united behind a common purpose: to make a difference in people’s lives. Oshkosh products can be found in more than 150 countries under the brands of JLG®, Pierce®, MAXIMETAL, Oshkosh® S-Series™, McNeilus®, IMT®, Jerr-Dan®, Frontline™ Communications, Oshkosh® Airport Products, Oshkosh AeroTech™, Oshkosh® Defense and Pratt Miller. For more information, visit oshkoshcorp.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains statements that the Company believes to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s future financial position, business strategy, targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital expenditures, debt levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “should,” “project” or “plan” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include risks related to the Company’s ability to successfully execute on its strategic road map, develop and commercialize new products and technologies, realize the anticipated benefits of strategic investments and partnerships, and meet its long-term financial goals. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Form 10-K. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update information contained in this news release. Investors should be aware that the Company may not update such information until the Company’s next quarterly earnings conference call, if at all.
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