Safran is an international high-technology group, holding world or European leadership in a number of industries including aircraft and rocket engines, space technologies, aircraft interiors and landing systems, and through the Safran Electronics and Defense: avionics, optronics and navigation technologies for military and civil markets.

Safran Electronics and Defense Australasia (SEDA) is a wholly owned subsidiary based in Botany, NSW, which delivers three key technical competencies;

• Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) capability to support in service equipment in the region;
• Design and Development (D&D) capability for ‘Australianisation’ of products and technology, and;
• Research and Development (R&D) capability to support newly emergent local needs and requirements.

SEDA provides a range of critical optronics and navigation technology and local support to the Australian Navy’s surface vessels and submarines, the Army’s man portable and vehicle systems, and Australia’s military helicopters, as well as commercial airlines in the region.

The goal for the visit is to better understand ANU capability and promote an immediate opportunity for researchers to follow up and begin to establish a relationship. Safran would like to promote the opportunity for funding some short exploratory projects to kick start research activities in Australia. A small amount of funding is available via a nationwide competitive process, the hope being to quickly get to know a few researchers and their work before establishing more significant projects.

The current areas of interest are electro-optics, computer vision, navigation, autonomous systems, image processing, deep learning for imagery/defence application, quantum PNT, geo-spatial.