Elbit Systems subsidiary FUSE is expanding deeper into autonomous ground operations after acquiring Israeli robotics company Bluewhite.
Elbit Systems subsidiary FUSE is expanding deeper into autonomous ground operations after acquiring Israeli robotics company Bluewhite.
The company said it completed the purchase of Bluewhite Robotics, a developer of AI-enabled autonomous systems for off-road and defense applications, in a move that broadens Elbit’s growing autonomy portfolio beyond aerial and swarm systems.
Founded in 2017 and based in Tel Aviv, Bluewhite develops software and hardware designed to convert conventional vehicles into autonomous platforms.
Its Pathfinder autonomy kit and Compass fleet-management software have been used across agricultural and defense operations, with the company reporting more than 100,000 autonomous operating hours.
"Autonomy and robotics are reshaping how defense forces operate today," Fuse CEO Eyal Dahan said. "The world is changing rapidly, and modern battlefields require vast adoption of robotics capabilities.”
Bluewhite CEO Ben Alfi, meanwhile, said the deal would help scale the company’s autonomous ground technologies into defense and industrial markets through Elbit’s larger operational and manufacturing network.
Defense Firms Expand Autonomous Capabilities
Defense companies have increasingly turned to acquisitions to accelerate development of autonomous and AI-enabled systems.
In May, Mach Industries acquired Exquadrum to strengthen its propulsion and energetics capabilities for unmanned systems. Mach said the purchase would help vertically integrate rocket motors, munitions, and guidance systems into its autonomous platforms.
In April, Red Cat Holdings bought Apium Swarm Robotics to integrate autonomous swarming technology into its defense drones and unmanned systems.
Earlier, in March, autonomous systems manufacturer Ondas merged with Mistral to gain direct access to US Army and Special Operations contract vehicles and expand its position in defense procurement.
