Latest news with #BrianSchimpf
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Anduril plans footprint in Poland's red-hot combat drone market
WARSAW, Poland — As the Polish military ramps up its Drone Force, U.S. defense-technology company Anduril Industries is working to expand its foothold in Poland. 'We're still at an early stage of looking at things and different options,' Brian Schimpf, the co-founder and CEO of Anduril Industries, said at a June 9 press briefing in Warsaw. 'There's amazing software and manufacturing here, and lots of great people. We could potentially launch production in Poland with a partner.' Anduril Industries' portfolio includes the Altius multi-mission loitering munition, the Barracuda range of autonomous air vehicles, and the Copperhead family of autonomous underwater vehicles. The company says its solutions are run by Lattice, an AI-powered, open operating system designed to provide the drones with autonomy. Schimpf said one of the reasons Anduril Industries is evaluating a potential expansion in Poland is related to the country's intense efforts to upgrade its military and gain new capabilities, and the government's decisiveness in advancing new programs. Poland has accelerated its military modernization efforts in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of its neighbor Ukraine in February 2022. Launched in 2025, the Polish Drone Force will consist of unmanned aerial vehicles, and potentially other unmanned systems, of various sizes. The Polish ministry inked a framework agreement with local private defense company WB Group in May to acquire some 10,000 units of the Warmate loitering munition, with deliveries foreseen until 2035. In December 2024, Warsaw signed a deal worth some $310 million to acquire a number of MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones from General Atomics that are to be delivered by the first quarter of 2027.
Business Insider
19-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Anduril gave everyone a behind-the-scenes look at Fury, its AI fighter built to fly with America's most fearsome aircraft
Palmer Luckey's Anduril just gave the world an inside glimpse of its new project for the US Air Force — an uncrewed fighter jet that teams up with piloted aircraft. The military startup was featured on Sunday in a CBS 60 Minutes segment, during which a few clips showed Anduril's Fury drone being assembled in a hangar or warehouse. It's not the first time the drone was shown to the public — the Air Force unveiled a test representative model on May 1. But the TV segment reveals a few more details about the drone's make. In one clip, two engineers are seen fixing a wing on the Fury, the defense startup's offering for the Air Force's collaborative combat aircraft program. That speaks to the aircraft's modular design. Anduril says the Fury, like many of its other products, is built so that its parts can be easily swapped out and customized. Both engineers are also filmed using screwdrivers to secure the wing onto the aircraft. The company has said that it wants the Fury to be manufactured at scale and possibly in many different workshops in the US instead of relying on a few highly specialized facilities. CBS also showed a conceptual clip of a scenario in which three Fury drones flew as a team in front of a crewed fighter jet and helped it strike an enemy aircraft. "These fly out ahead of manned fighters, and they're able to find the enemy first, able to engage the enemy well before a manned fighter has to be seen or is in range," Brian Schimpf, Anduril's CEO, told CBS. Such a mission is part of the Air Force's vision for its advanced fighter jets to fight alongside drones that act as "loyal wingmen," or for the drones to be used in missions on their own. It's expected to be a key feature of the F-47, the sixth-generation stealth fighter developed by Boeing. But the Air Force has also said it hopes to integrate the program with F-35 Lightning IIs and F-22 Raptors. Air Force leadership has said its priority is making the drones affordable and easy to manufacture, as it hopes to bring mass to the skies since its fleet has shrunk in favor of more advanced aircraft. Anduril was chosen to compete for the program, but the Fury hasn't clinched the contract yet. Dubbed YFQ-44A by the Air Force, the aircraft is competing for the bid with General Atomics, which is also offering a drone with a modular design. The Pentagon is expected to make early decisions during the fiscal year of 2026, which starts in October.
