York Space Systems enters unmanned ground vehicle market with acquisition
The Shadow unmanned vehicle will be the first offering when York Space Systems completes its acquisition of Outlook Industries. York Space Systems
By
Nick Wakeman
Outlook Industries will becoming the building block of a new business unit to be called York Terrestrial Systems.
York Space Systems is acquiring a provider of unmanned ground systems in a deal what will create a new division for the Denver-headquartered company.
Outlook Industries will form the foundation of York Terrestrial Systems. This unit will focus on earth-based systems and extend York’s ability to connect unmanned platforms to space, ground and communications infrastructure.
York did not disclose the terms of the acquisition announced Thursday, but said the addition of Outlook will give it access to a $3.1 billion addressable market for unmanned ground systems.
Combined with its All.Space mobile satellite communications terminals and Atlas global ground network, the acquisition also expands York’s reach into $10.3 billion in addressable unmanned surface and underwater vessel markets.
“The future of national defense will be defined by the ability to deploy and coordinate large fleets of unmanned systems while keeping the people commanding them farther from danger,” said Dirk Wallinger, CEO of York.
Outlook Industries is bringing its Shadow unmanned ground vehicle, which will be the initial platform for York Terrestrial Systems. Shadow is a a long-endurance unmanned system that the military uses for persistent intelligence and mobile communications in difficult operating environments.
Outlook designed Shadow to withstand gunfire and harsh environmental conditions in active conflict zones. The vehicle is battery powered and has an automatic fuel-powered generator support system.
York plans to integrate Shadow with its All.Space terminal technology, which would connect the vehicle to York’s broader space and ground architecture through multiple satellites, reducing the reliance on a single link, the company said.
“Unmanned systems at scale will change military operations as profoundly as industrialization changed warfare a century ago,” Wallinger said. “Success will depend on how effectively those systems work together and how far we can separate the operator from the threat.
Outlook is York's third acquisition since the space company completed its initial public offering in January.