Anduril to sell small, affordable drones after success in Ukraine By Reuters

Written by Mike Stone

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Anduril Industries unveiled new, autonomous drones on Thursday for intelligence-gathering and lethal missions, taking advantage of rising demand fueled by the success of similar products in Ukraine that are cheaper than military aircraft.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the importance of hovercraft – lightweight aerial weapons that can fly, scout and carry out quick and precise strikes – instead of expensive, vulnerable fighter jets.

Autonomous Air Vehicles (AAVs) are designed to provide flexible capabilities for a variety of missions, from intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) to search and rescue operations and a version of the anti-aircraft weapon to target. enemy forces.

The systems have a flight time of more than 40 minutes and a range of 20 kilometers (12 miles), the company said.

Privately held Anduril said it is under contract to supply the deadly Bolts to the US Marine Corps. A typical Bolt repair costs in the low tens of thousands of dollars, the company said.