A Canadian engineering company partnering on autonomous military aircraft in the United Kingdom is also overseeing nuclear materials operations at a former uranium enrichment site in southern Ohio under a $2.3 billion U.S. Department of Energy contract.
AtkinsRéalis announced this month that it signed a teaming agreement with Anduril UK to support certification, safety assurance and regulatory engagement for uncrewed aircraft systems intended for British defense programs. The collaboration focuses on cybersecurity standards and navigating approval pathways with the United Kingdom’s military and civil aviation authorities.
Anduril, founded by technology entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, has a growing footprint in Ohio as it expands U.S. manufacturing and defense production capacity. The California-based defense technology firm specializes in AI-enabled autonomous systems and software-defined military platforms.
At the same time, AtkinsRéalis serves as a lead partner in the Mission Conversion Services Alliance (MCSA) — a joint venture with Westinghouse Government Services and Jacobs Technology Inc. — which was awarded a $2.3 billion contract by the U.S. Department of Energy to manage nuclear materials and mission support services at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
The contract includes oversight of depleted uranium hexafluoride conversion, stabilization of nuclear byproducts and emergency response services at the Piketon Site. Depleted uranium hexafluoride, or DUF6, is a byproduct of uranium enrichment and is converted into a more stable uranium oxide form suitable for long-term storage or disposal.
The Piketon plant, which ceased enrichment operations in 2001, remains one of the nation's most toxic sites.
AtkinsRéalis’ current federal role follows a series of corruption cases tied to the company under its former name, SNC-Lavalin. In 2019, SNC-Lavalin Construction pleaded guilty in Canada to a fraud charge related to business dealings in Libya and agreed to pay a substantial fine. In 2013, the World Bank debarred SNC-Lavalin Inc. and more than 100 affiliates for 10 years over allegations tied to bribery schemes involving international infrastructure projects. The company rebranded as AtkinsRéalis in 2023.
The emerging relationship between a firm advising on AI-enabled autonomous military aircraft and a company managing nuclear materials in Ohio raises broader policy questions about the convergence of artificial intelligence, defense autonomy and nuclear infrastructure. Defense analysts note that while no such weapons programs have been announced or disclosed, the rapid advancement of AI-driven military systems has prompted ongoing debate in Washington and allied capitals about oversight, safeguards and the future trajectory of advanced weapons development.
For communities near former enrichment facilities such as Piketon, the overlap underscores how global defense and nuclear industries increasingly intersect through multinational contractors operating across both sectors.
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