History

The beginnings of the Kord Group go back to 1997 when WetPC Pty Ltd was established by Peter Moran and Bruce Macdonald to commercialise the WetPC® Underwater Computer - which had been invented by Bruce in 1993 (listed as Australia’s invention for that year) to enable scientists to enter data whilst underwater.

The company was based in Townsville during its first year of operation but subsequently moved to Canberra in early 1999 so that it could be in close proximity to the Australian Defence headquarters – seen to be the major source of potential business at the time.

In its early years WetPC mainly worked with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) which led to development of a hand-held computer called the SeaSlate; designed to enable Miriflene Clearance Divers to record their position and swim path underwater. A collaboration with Nautronix Ltd ensued and ultimately signing of a subllicence to that company in June 2000. Subsequently, and after many false starts and long delays, Nautronix won a contract to provide Mine Warfare Underwater Combat Systems (MUCS) to the RAN which were eventually accepted into service in mid 2009.

During those formative years, and sensing that there were more significant markets, the Company began to shift its focus to commercialising Kord IT for above water applications and in particular those relating to soldier systems. In mid 2005 it established a collaboration with ADI Limited (now Thales Australia) to develop a generic controller (called the Rifle Input Control) for the Austeyr Rifle. Early prototypes drew strong interest from both local and overseas defence forces indicating that the companies were on the right path.

WetPC’s increasing involvement in army applications caused a rethink of the company’s business strategies and structure. In response, the Kord Group (see below) was formed in May 2007 to provide a structure that facilitated growth and investment and was more aligned with future strategic and commercial objectives.

Shortly after Kord Defence was formed it signed a Collaboration Agreement with Thales Australia to formalise the relationship between the two companies, both from a technical and business perspective. Continued close interaction culminated in the signing of a Sublicence and Distribution Agreement in October 2008 and the release of a ruggedized prototype RIC for trial by the Australian Army in late 2009.

In early January 2010 Kord Defence began a strong push into the US Defense market, with the support of a Washington based consultant. In November 2010 the US Department of Defense announced that the Rifle Input Control had been selected for evaluation by the US Marines.

A pre-production prototype of the SmartGrip RIC is due for completion by early 2011.