Anduril and Rheinmetall Partner to Develop Advanced Military Drones for European Market

Anduril pushes further into NATO with Rheinmetall deal

Silicon Valley-backed weapons maker Anduril and German armaments biz Rheinmetall have signed a deal to see US-designed drones and missiles integrated into European military platforms. Anduril, co-founded by Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey, expanded from Lattice border-surveillance towers into autonomous drones and AI-driven command and control (C2) systems. It has agreed to supply hardware for German arms maker Rheinmetall's Battlesuite digital sovereignty framework, which is meant to coordinate C2 across both manned and unmanned weapons systems. "This is a different model of defense collaboration, one built on shared production, operational relevance, and mutual respect for sovereignty," said Brian Schimpf, CEO of Anduril Industries, in a canned statement. "Together with Rheinmetall, we're building systems that can be produced quickly, deployed widely, and adapted as NATO missions evolve." The deal comes as NATO's European members eye higher defense budgets amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine and President Trump's repeated calls for greater burden-sharing. The German government has signaled a gradual path toward a 5 percent of GDP defense budget, and NATO has urged the UK to boost core defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP. US firms aren't necessarily seen as prime partners, however, considering the rocky state of relations with the US and Trump's indecision on whether to continue funding Ukraine's fight against Russia. Rumors of a "kill switch" in US-made F-35 aircraft forced an official denial from the Pentagon that any such thing existed, amid the Portuguese military canceled its planned purchase of 27-28 F-35As in March and opened talks to procure Swedish Gripen E/F fighters. But what's more important to the Germans is the speed of delivery, as it faces an increasingly bellicose Russia. Anduril is built around the idea of rapid production, which fits that need very well and may have overcome fears of buying American. Under the partnership, Anduril and Rheinmetall aim to produce modified versions of the Barracuda family of cruise munitions and the Fury Group-5 autonomous combat aircraft tailored to European operational requirements. The deal will see the two companies develop the drones that can be integrated into NATO forces, once they are finished and certified. The Barracuda family comprises air-breathing, turbojet-powered Autonomous Air Vehicles (AAVs). The Barracuda-500 delivers over 500 nautical miles of range, carries more than 100 lb of payload, and can loiter for more than 120 minutes before engaging its target. Earlier this year, Anduril released footage of the Barracuda's early flight tests and, while there's a lot of work to do, the design looks solid. Its largest Barracuda 500 missile has been flying since last year and has been selected for development by the US Air Force Armament Directorate. Fury is a longer term project designed to meet the needs of the US Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) initiative, in which autonomous drone aircraft will accompany human pilots on missions. The Air Force has been developing AI-controlled aircraft using three converted F-16 fighters and in simulations, the computer-controlled aircraft beat human pilots - in part because they were allowed to pull off maneuvers that would have overstressed the airframe. But the technology is working, so much so that the then-Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told Congress he'd be happy to fly in one. He eventually did so, albeit with a human pilot in the back seat just in case, and Anduril is one of two companies selected for the CCA project, with the YFQ-44A, a semi-autonomous build of the Fury. Speaking in an interview with the Royal Aeronautical Society on the expo floor at the Paris Air Show, Jason Levin, SVP of engineering at Anduril, said that Fury is a Level 5 autonomous drone, meaning it can take off, perform its mission, and land again without any human control. He said the airframe was beginning ground testing in May. Youtube Video Anduril uses its Lattice networking technology to allow its hardware to interconnect, but the deal with Rheinmetall will see this integrated into the Battlesuite system. The German system, announced earlier this year, is designed to link new and existing weapons into a coordinated whole in a network hardened against online attacks. The privately held company is backed by an array of investors, including stalwart Silicon Valley VC funds Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund, and has had a number of wins recently, including a deal with Meta - Luckey's former employer (then known as Facebook), which fired him in 2016 - to provide mixed-reality headsets for soldiers. Anduril and Rheinmetall had no additional comment at the time of going to press. ®

Anduril, Rheinmetall partner to build military drones for Europe

PARIS, June 18 (Reuters) - U.S. drone-maker Anduril and German defence giant Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE), opens new tab said on Wednesday they will partner to build aerial drones for European markets, in a sign of Europe leveraging American technology to boost military capabilities. The companies will jointly-develop European variants of Anduril's Barracuda and Fury aerial drones, as well as exploring opportunities to build solid rocket motors, which are used to propel missiles and rockets. "By integrating Anduril's solutions into Rheinmetall's European production setup and digital sovereignty framework, we're building on that foundation to bring new kinds of autonomous capabilities into service, ones that are quick to produce, modular, and aligned with NATO's evolving requirements," said Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall. In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and amid concerns over U.S. defence commitments under President Donald Trump, many European nations have pledged to increase military spending. However, Europe continues to depend heavily on U.S. defence firms to fill critical capability gaps - not only in traditional systems like fighter jets and missiles, but also in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, low-Earth orbit satellites and drones. California-based Anduril is part of a wave of U.S. defence technology companies - including AI firm Palantir and Elon Musk's SpaceX - that are challenging traditional defence manufacturing giants with faster innovation. The war in Ukraine has shown the increasing importance of drones in modern warfare. The Barracuda is designed to be cheap, fast to build and easy to launch in large numbers and can act like a cruise missile. Fury is a more expensive, stealthier, longer-range drone designed for combat and surveillance. "This is a different model of defense collaboration, one built on shared production, operational relevance, and mutual respect for sovereignty," said Brian Schimpf, CEO of Anduril Industries. "Together with Rheinmetall, we're building systems that can be produced quickly, deployed widely, and adapted as NATO missions evolve." Reporting by Joe Brock Editing by Mark Potter Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:Aerospace & DefenseADAS, AV & Safety Joe Brock Thomson Reuters Joe Brock is Reuters' aerospace and defense editor, based in Los Angeles, where he leads a global team of reporters covering airlines, aerospace, weapons manufacturers, and the space industry. Joe has previously worked in Singapore, Johannesburg, Abuja and London as a reporter and bureau chief. He has received several awards for his investigative journalism, including from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing and The Society of Publishers in Asia.

Anduril Partners With Germany's Rheinmetall To Build Smart, Autonomous Air Systems And Rocket Motors For Europe's Defense Amid CEO Palmer Luckey's IPO Push - Archer Aviation (NYSE:ACHR), Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)

Defense technology firm Anduril Industries has formed a strategic partnership with German defense giant Rheinmetall to co-develop autonomous air systems and propulsion capabilities for the European market. What Happened: Anduril Industries and Rheinmetall announced a collaboration to jointly develop three core defense systems for European deployment. The partnership focuses on integrating Anduril's Barracuda low-cost autonomous air vehicle and Fury high-performance multi-mission aircraft into Rheinmetall's digital sovereignty framework called "Battlesuite." The companies will also explore solid rocket motor production for European defense applications using Anduril's manufacturing approaches. "This is a different model of defense collaboration, one built on shared production, operational relevance, and mutual respect for sovereignty," said Brian Schimpf, CEO of Anduril Industries. Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger emphasized the focus on "autonomous capabilities that are quick to produce, modular, and aligned with NATO's evolving requirements." See Also: Trump Financial Disclosures Reveal Barron Trump's Potential $40 Million Windfall From Crypto Project Why It Matters: Last week, Anduril CEO Palmer Luckey confirmed the defense tech firm's IPO plans, saying the company must go public to compete for trillion-dollar contracts like the F-35 program. Invest in Real Estate with as Little as $10Arrived HomesInvest in rental properties starting from $100Open to all investors -- no accreditation requiredReceive quarterly dividends and benefit from appreciationProfessionally managed properties, no landlord headaches5/5Get StartedFundriseLow minimum investment starting from $10Professionally managed, hands-off investing experienceEasy-to-use platform for investors of all experience levelsPassive income through quarterly dividends and appreciation4.5/5Get StartedYieldstreetMinimum investment starting from $2,500Invest in real estate, private credit, art, and moreAccess alternative investments previously reserved for institutionsSimple platform designed for accredited and non-accredited investors4.5/5Get StartedEquityMultipleMinimum investment starting at just $5,000Invest across diverse commercial real estate assetsTargeted returns clearly presented for informed investingProfessionally vetted deals designed for accredited investors4.5/5Get StartedRealtyMogulMinimum investment starting from $5,000Invest in professionally vetted real estate projects and REITsEarn potential passive income through dividends and appreciationOpen to accredited and select options for non-accredited investors4.5/5Get Started The collaboration builds on Anduril's recent defense partnerships, including its alliance with Archer Aviation Inc. ACHR for U.S. Department of Defense hybrid aircraft development, with Archer raising $430 million to support the defense program. The defense sector consolidation reflects a broader shift where tech-focused companies like Palantir Technologies Inc PLTR and Anduril lead a consortium competing against traditional contractors like Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT and RTX Corp. RTX for the $850 billion U.S. defense market through AI-powered solutions and rapid innovation approaches. Read Next: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's AI-Led Job Cuts Warning Sparks Backlash As Employee Reportedly Says 'It's Clearly Part Of The Plan' Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Photo Courtesy: Tada Images on Shutterstock.com ACHRArcher Aviation Inc$10.172.52%Stock Score Locked: Edge Members Only Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Unlock RankingsEdge RankingsMomentum97.39Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewLMTLockheed Martin Corp$480.000.14%PLTRPalantir Technologies Inc$139.731.11%RTXRTX Corp$148.770.20%Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs