Anduril will develop an AI-powered jet drone for the US Air Force that will be able to work in tandem with aircraft
Anduril became the contractor that officially announced its support for the US Air Force’s program to develop advanced unmanned aerial vehicles. The US Air Force has selected the company to develop unmanned combat aircraft (UCA) with artificial intelligence such as “trusted partner”.
Anduril acquired Blue Force Technologies, a small aviation company that was developing an advanced Fury drone that fully meets the Air Force’s CCA requirements. Fury, presented as an aggressor unmanned jet aircraft, can take on many different roles and missions, which is what Anduril is banking on.
Anduril also produces Lattice, which it describes as an AI-enabled software platform that allows teams of autonomous systems to dynamically collaborate to perform complex tasks under human control. This can also make a big difference to the CCA program.
The CCA program focuses on the development of at least one type of advanced “trusted partner” drone with a high degree of autonomy. These unmanned aircraft are expected to initially operate in close contact with the Air Force’s stealthy F-35A Joint Strike Fighter and the upcoming sixth-generation Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) combat aircraft.
The drones can potentially operate in conjunction with other types of aircraft, including fourth-generation fighters and the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, or independently.
The CCA is another element of the larger NGAD family of programs, which also includes new weapons, sensors, network and battle management packages, advanced jet engines, and more.
