Defense technology startup Anduril Industries, founded by entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, announced on Thursday that it has acquired Blue Force Technologies, a company that designs and manufactures composite aircraft and components. The deal, whose terms were not disclosed, is aimed at strengthening Anduril’s autonomous fleet and software capabilities, as the company seeks to become a prime defense contractor.
Anduril’s vision for the future of defense
Anduril, founded in 2017, develops and fields integrated autonomous solutions across a wide variety of sensors, including drones, effectors and assets. The company has experience automating the operations of robotic systems deployed in tactical environments. Anduril also launched its Lattice for Mission Autonomy, an artificial intelligence-enabled software, used to collaborate teams of autonomous systems during missions under human supervision.
The company’s founder, Palmer Luckey, is credited for founding virtual reality company Oculus VR, which was later acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $2.3 billion. Luckey said that his vision for Anduril is to create a defense company that can compete with the traditional primes, such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, by leveraging cutting-edge technology and innovation.
“The only way that we’re going to get to the scale of a prime that can change the way a lot of things are done is to work across the same domains that a prime has to do,” Luckey told Breaking Defense. “You have to fight and win across multiple areas.”
Blue Force’s expertise in composite aircraft
Blue Force Technologies, based in North Carolina, specializes in designing and manufacturing composite aircraft and components. The company has produced various types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as Fury, a large-size drone with a 17-foot wingspan that can fly at speeds of up to 200 mph and carry payloads of up to 100 pounds.
Blue Force’s CEO, Mark Cramer, said that the company’s expertise in composite materials and manufacturing processes will complement Anduril’s software and autonomy capabilities. He added that the acquisition will enable Blue Force to scale up its production and expand its product portfolio.
“We are excited to join forces with Anduril and leverage our combined strengths to deliver advanced autonomous aircraft solutions to our customers,” Cramer said in a statement.
Anduril’s plans for the future
Anduril said that it plans to use Blue Force’s technology and talent to enhance its autonomous fleet and software offerings. The company said that it will continue to invest in research and development of new capabilities and platforms, as well as pursue new opportunities in the defense market.
Anduril’s chief strategy officer, Chris Brose, said that one of the reasons why the company was interested in Blue Force was because of its Fury drone, which he said could be used to deter potential adversaries such as China.
“Fury has a lot of attributes that we think are going to be able to generate deterrence vis-a-vis China: longer range, faster speeds, greater payload carrying capacity, greater survivability,” he said.
Anduril also revealed that it has launched a new business unit focused on developing solid rocket motors for missiles and rockets. The company acquired Adranos, a small solid rocket motor firm, in June this year. Luckey said that the company is “going after everything” on the Department of Defense’s list of missile requirements.
“We’re going after everything that’s on the DoD’s list. All the way from Javelin-class all the way up to intermediate range missiles,” he said.
