Defense company Anduril Industries has raked in a major U.S. Air Force contract for its fighter-like drone, while Mach Industries has been selected to develop a Navy attack drone that doesn’t require a runway.
Both companies are helping reshape modern warfare through advanced autonomous systems and defense technology. Anduril, co-founded by OC mega-entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, is sporting a valuation of $61 billion after its latest financing round, while Mach is valued at $1.8 billion.
A Milestone Moment for Anduril
Anduril and rival General Atomics were awarded contracts by the Air Force to build drones that fly alongside manned fighter jets. Financial terms were not released.
The contract marks a milestone for Anduril and the defense industry. The company said it is the first new entrant to win a U.S. fighter aircraft program since the 1970s, breaking the long-standing dominance of traditional defense contractors.
“For Anduril, there is no denying the magnitude of this milestone,” the company said when it announced the contract award on June 17.
“What was once little more than a bar napkin idea has evolved into a production-ready capability in record time. We have conquered impossible odds, built a first-in-class capability, and are primed to deliver it at scale.”
The contract was awarded months ahead of schedule, indicating the aircraft met key performance requirements and were deemed ready for production.
Production of the semi-autonomous YFQ-44A fighter aircraft, guided by Anduril’s Lattice software platform, is already underway at the company’s manufacturing facility near Columbus, Ohio.
“Under the contract, Anduril will deliver an initial set of production FQ-44 semi-autonomous fighter aircraft to support continued testing, validation, and, ultimately, operational fielding,” the Costa Mesa-based company said on June 17.
A few days later on June 22, Anduril said the U.S. Army selected the Costa Mesa-based company to lead the common data baseline for its Next Generation Command and Control initiative, known as NGC2, a shared software network that supports Anduril’s modernization effort to improve battlefield decision-making.
“Over the last 10 months, soldiers demonstrated that a commercial software platform can connect thousands of users, integrate dozens of applications, and continuously incorporate new capabilities in operational environments,” the company said.
Major Mach Project
In Huntington Beach, Mach Industries won a Pentagon contract for maritime, long-range strike drone.
The Navy is seeking an unmanned aerial system that can operate from “expeditionary locations with minimal infrastructure” or from ships without a large flight deck to conduct long-range strikes.
Mach Industries said it will work with propulsion provider Whisper Aero to spearhead development and program execution to design and deliver a next-generation aircraft called Atlas for the program.
“Atlas provides the joint force with a warfighting solution using a hybrid-electric propulsion aircraft, capable of runway independent operations while carrying a 1,000-pound payload with a range of 1,400 nautical miles,” Mach said in a statement on June 16.
Mach said as “integrator” it will lead development and overall program execution for the Atlas aircraft, which it bills as a next-generation aircraft with a “novel aero and propulsion approach that gives the warfighter an entirely new advantage for operations in contested environments.”
Whisper Aero, based in Crossville, Tennessee, is developing quieter and more efficient propulsion thrust for drones and other aircraft.
Editorial intern Anastasia Efremova contributed to this report
