Anduril and General Atomics have completed the critical design review for their drone wingman concepts, bringing them a step closer to fielding.
This was confirmed by Timothy Helfrich, a senior official with Air Force Materiel Command, who also stated that the service is on track with its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.
“Both industry teammates are on the path to get to first flight in a timeline that allows us to get operational capability by the end of the decade,” he said during a recent defense forum in Virginia.
A critical design review is a crucial phase in military tech development, as it validates the maturity of a system’s design before it undergoes rigorous testing and official deployment.
“I would say that we have matured the design to a critical point where we feel confident that it’s moving forward,” an Anduril spokesperson stated. “It’s getting to the path where we’re going to be able to integrate and support the first flight that is, more or less, around the corner.”
Proposed Solutions
Anduril is offering its multi-mission Group 5 aerial system dubbed Fury, designed for both autonomous and collaborative missions.
It leverages the company’s Lattice software, enabling advanced data processing with the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
General Atomics is also pitching a variant of its Gambit family of drones, known for their long endurance capabilities.
The company claims its proposed solution integrates seamlessly with next-generation aircraft, helping them evade detection, relay data, or act as a first line of defense.
Anduril and General Atomics both surpassed defense giants Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman in April to secure the first increment of the CCA program. A second increment is expected by 2025.