As reported recently by the WSJ, defense tech startup Anduril Industries has encountered multiple difficulties while testing its autonomous weapons systems. Among the issues mentioned were more than a dozen drone boats that malfunctioned during a Navy drill off the coast of California in May, with sailors expressing concerns about possible life-threatening safety breaches; a mechanical problem that resulted in engine damage to Anduril’s Fury unmanned jet fighter during a ground test in the summer; and a test in August of its Anvil counterdrone system that sparked a 22-acre blaze in Oregon.
Established in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, Anduril secured $2.5 billion in funding this past June at a valuation of $30.5 billion, with Founders Fund, which played a role in the company’s early development, leading the round. The company has been awarded numerous military contracts, including projects for the development of autonomous aircraft and counter-drone systems.
In addition to the testing failures, the Journal notes that Anduril’s limited real-world combat experience in Ukraine has also been fraught with problems. Ukrainian SBU security service soldiers on the front lines discovered that Altius loitering drones were crashing and missing their targets. According to reports, the problems were so significant that Ukrainian troops discontinued their use in 2024 and have not deployed them since. Anduril asserts that its struggles are common in weapons development, that its engineering staff is making significant advancements, and that the previously mentioned occurrences do not point to any fundamental weaknesses in its technology.
