What Is Anduril? Inside the Defense Tech Startup - Built In

Anduril is on a mission to disrupt the military-industrial complex with the speed, agility and tech prowess of a Silicon Valley startup — and it’s already landed billions of dollars in contracts in a defense sector that has long been dominated by the likes of Lockheed Martin, RTX, Boeing and Northrop Grumman.

Anduril has developed more than a dozen autonomous systems, such as missiles, surveillance drones, submarines and even an unmanned fighter jet. But unlike its competitors, technology — specifically artificial intelligence — is at the heart of all of its products, as its AI-powered Lattice software collects and analyzes field data through a mesh network that connects autonomous systems in low-bandwidth areas of the world.

Anduril’s founder, hardware prodigy Palmer Luckey, does not look the part of an executive who does business with the Pentagon, often sporting a distinctive mullet and goatee with a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and flip flops. But his company’s willingness to take big swings and fund its own product development has helped it compete with defense industry juggernauts. Most recently, the U.S. Army consolidated 120 of its procurements with Anduril into a 10-year contract that could be worth up to $20 billion.

Related ReadingWant a Job at Anduril? Skip the Resume and Race a Drone Instead

What Is Anduril?

Anduril is a defense technology company headquartered in Costa Mesa, California. It develops advanced autonomous systems that can be deployed on land, in air, at sea and in space.

The company was founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, who developed the virtual reality headset Oculus Rift. When he was just 21 years old, he sold his startup Oculus VR to Facebook for $2 billion in 2014. Luckey was fired from Facebook in 2017 after he donated to a pro-Donald Trump political organization during the 2016 election, although Facebook has said the reason for Luckey’s ouster was not political.

Several months after leaving Facebook, Luckey decided to launch Anduril, which is named after the reforged sword from “The Lord of the Rings.” Luckey co-founded the company with Trae Stephens and Matt Grimm, venture capital investors who previously worked as engineers at data analytics giant Palantir, along with Joseph Chen, the former product lead at Oculus VR, and Brian Schrimpf, the former engineering director at Palantir.

Unabashedly Pro-Military

Unlike many other tech companies, Anduril is unapologetic about supporting the U.S. military in its use of artificial intelligence in warfare. After receiving a petition from 4,000 of its employees, Google decided in 2018 not to renew its Pentagon contract for Project Maven, which sought to develop AI technologies to help the military identify people and objects in drone videos. The following year, a group of 50 Microsoft employees opposed their company’s work to adapt HoloLens, its augmented reality headset, for military use. 

In the wake of these controversies, Anduril’s founders criticized Silicon Valley tech companies for their reluctance to answer the call of their nation’s military. The company signed onto Project Maven, developing technology that could use sensors to detect, identify and alert troops with information about their surroundings. And in 2025, Anduril took over Microsoft’s $22 billion AR headset contract, as Microsoft had discontinued production of the HoloLens.

Product-Led Approach

Anduril may be an outlier in the tech industry, but it has even less in common with the defense industry it seeks to disrupt. Typically, the Pentagon will issue a request for proposals, award a contract to an entrenched incumbent and wait years for them to develop the product — often over budget and behind schedule. Anduril is disrupting that process by investing its own time and money into the research and development of its products, which it then offers to sell to the government.

Crucially, Luckey doesn’t consider Anduril to be a defense contractor, as they are paid to do work regardless of the product’s success, he told 60 Minutes. Instead, he describes the company as a “defense product company” that is invested in creating an effective product. Because all of the risk has already been “baked out,” Luckey believes Anduril will save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars per year.

Powered By Venture Capital

Anduril’s ability to fund R&D before winning a contract is made possible with lots and lots of venture capital. It has secured more than $6 billion to date, including a $2.5 billion round in 2025, and is currently raising a $4 billion funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz and Thrive Capital. Luckey told CNBC that the company will “definitely” go public in the future.

Like many other tech disrupters, Anduril is not yet profitable. In 2026, the company expects to roughly double its revenue to about $4.3 billion, according to The Information, but it will also have about $1 billion in losses. The company says it does not expect to be profitable until 2030.

Related ReadingAI Fighter Jets Are Here — And War May Never Be the Same

Anduril’s Products

Anduril has developed more than a dozen products. Here are a few of its most popular offerings.

Lattice

At the heart of all of Anduril’s hardware is Lattice, an autonomous software system and network that connects and powers thousands of systems, even those in remote, low-bandwidth environments. By collecting information from radar, cameras and other sensors, Lattice analyzes data, streamlines decision-making, and in some cases, acts autonomously under human supervision.

Fury

Fury is an unmanned fighter jet that is designed to fly semi-autonomously alongside manned aircrafts, typically shielding them from any dangers that lie ahead. Developed as part of the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, Fury completed its first flight in October 2025. Similar to its approach with other products, Anduril aimed to prevent manufacturing bottlenecks with Fury by using readily available materials that could be repaired using tools found in most machine shops.

Dive-XL

Dive-XL is an autonomous submarine that can be used for reconnaissance, surveying the seabed or firing a torpedo. Unlike hybrid submarines that require oxygen for their fuel mix, Dive-XL has an all-electric powertrain that allows it to stay underwater for more than 2,000 miles without surfacing. Its design was based on the development of Ghost Shark, an autonomous submarine Anduril developed for the Royal Australian Navy. 

Barracuda

Barracuda is a line of air-breathing cruise missiles. Its most advanced model, 500M, can travel more than 500 nautical miles. These missiles are designed for mass production and mass deployment, using readily available materials and requiring 10 or less tools to assemble.

Sentry 

Anduril’s first product was Sentry, a surveillance tower that autonomously detects, classifies and tracks people, vehicles and aircraft. First adopted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to monitor the U.S.-Mexico border, the technology has since been used to monitor airports, military bases and other critical infrastructure.

Ghost

Ghost is an autonomous helicopter-style drone that is primarily used for reconnaissance and surveillance. Without generating much noise, it can carry a 10-pound payload for 55 minutes within a range of more than seven miles. A newer model, Ghost-X, can carry 25 pounds of payload for 80 minutes within a range of more than 15 miles.

Roadrunner

Roadrunner is a jet-powered autonomous air vehicle that launches and lands vertically, making it reusable and more cost-effective than single-use counterparts. Its modular payload capabilities enable a variety of applications, but it’s primarily used to identify, intercept and destroy drones and other aerial threats.

Scaling Production at Arsenal-1

To increase its production capabilities, Anduril is investing nearly $1 billion to build a hyperscale manufacturing campus, known as Arsenal-1, about 20 miles south of Columbus, Ohio. Once it’s fully built out, it’s expected to employ more than 4,000 workers and provide more than 5 million square feet of manufacturing space.

The first building, which includes 775,000 square feet of production space and 120,000 additional square feet of office and support space, will begin production in late March 2026. Anduril broke ground on a second building spanning more than 924,000 square feet in the summer of 2025. 

Arsenal-1 will initially manufacture Fury, its autonomous fighter jet, and the airframes for its Barracuda missiles. The company says it will eventually manufacture additional products on the campus. Its software platform, Arsenal OS, will integrate the design, development and mass production stages for all of these products.

Anduril, which is headquartered in the former Los Angeles Times printing press building in Costa Mesa, California, is also expanding its southern California presence with a Long Beach campus that will blend offices and industrial space dedicated to industrial development. The campus, which is scheduled to be operational in mid-2027, will feature six buildings spanning nearly 1.2 million square feet, and it’s expected to employ 5,500 people. In recent years, the company has also opened production facilities in Mississippi, Rhode Island and Atlanta.

Related ReadingWhat Is a Drone Swarm?

Anduril’s Acquisitions

In addition to building its own products, Anduril has acquired several companies to grow its capabilities in emerging areas of the autonomous defense sector. These include:

• Area-I: In 2021, Anduril acquired Area-I, a Georgia-based company that developed the ALTIUS family of drones and loitering munitions that can be launched from air, land and sea.
• Copious Imaging: In 2021, Anduril acquired Copious Imaging, A Boston-area company that developed a long-wave infrared motion imaging system that uses AI to detect, track and classify objects of interest. 
• Dive Technologies: In 2022, Anduril acquired Dive Technologies, a Boston-based company whose work paved the way for the Dive-LD and Dive-XL undersea vehicles.
• Adranos: In 2023, Anduril acquired Adranos, a solid rocket motor company, and invested in the modernization of its Mississippi manufacturing facility.
• Blue Force Technologies: In 2023, Anduril acquired Blue Force Technologies, a North Carolina company whose work provided the technical foundation for the Fury autonomous fighter jet.
• Numerica Corporation: In 2025, Anduril acquired the radar and command-and-control businesses of Numerica Corporation, including its command-and-control software Mimir and its radar systems Spyglass and Spark.
• Klas: In 2025, Anduril acquired Klas, which developed rugged computer systems that can survive in harsh environments.
• American Infrared Solutions: In 2025, Anduril acquired American Infrared Solutions, which designs and manufactures infrared cameras and components.  
• ExoAnalytic Solutions: In 2026, Anduril acquired ExoAnalytic Solutions, which uses more than 400 telescopes to provide space domain awareness data for America and its allies.

More Like ThisInside Palantir: The Tech Giant Powering Government Intelligence

The Debate Around Autonomous Weapons

The use of autonomous weapons is a subject of hot debate, as a technological mistake could lead to mass casualties. And if something does go wrong, it raises questions about who should be held accountable. For these reasons, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the secretary general of the United Nations and a coalition of more than 70 non-governmental organizations called Stop Killer Robots have all voiced opposition to the use of autonomous weapons systems that lack human oversight and accountability.

In a 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post, Anduril’s co-founders said they agree that the decision to take a human life should not be made without human direction. But they also warn that an authoritarian regime may not show such restraint. “For the United States to set ethical norms and assert a moral high ground, it must first hold the technological high ground,” they wrote.

And in a 2025 interview with 60 Minutes, Luckey said the use of autonomous weapons is far more responsible than a landmine that cannot distinguish between Russian armor and a school bus full of children.

“It’s not a question between smart weapons and no weapons,” he said. “It’s a question between smart weapons and dumb weapons.”

Luckey added that Anduril’s autonomous weapons have a kill switch that allows humans to turn it off if needed. Ultimately, the use of autonomous weapons allows the military to make better-informed decisions while minimizing harm to American troops, he said.

“Right now there are so many weapons systems that require manning,” he said. “If I could have one guy controlling 100 aircraft, that’s a lot easier than having a pilot in every single one — and it puts a lot less lives at risk.”

Major Milestones for Anduril

Anduril has rapidly disrupted the defense industry, challenging legacy giants by applying Silicon Valley speed to national security. The following timeline highlights the company’s most significant milestones as it scales from a bold startup to a multi-billion dollar defense tech company.

Anduril Raises $5 Billion (May 2026)

Anduril raised $5 billion in a Series H round, which valued the company at $61 billion. Thrive Capital and Andreessen Horowitz led the round. Anduril’s latest raises come as the company has been tapped for large contracts, including the build out of a space-based Golden Dome missile system for the United States military and a number of overseas projects. 

Anduril Selected for CCA Program (April 2024)

The Air Force selected Anduril as one of the two vendors to participate in its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. The program will have Anduril work alongside General Atomics to develop autonomous drones to fly alongside crewed fighter jets and provide reconnaissance, striking and electronic warfare capabilities. In securing its spot in the CCA program, Anduril beat out legacy contractors like Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

Anduril Raises $450 Million (June 2021) 

Anduril closed a $450 million Series D funding round, valuing the company at $4.6 billion. The round was led by angel investor Elad Gil and included participation from Andreessen Horowitz, 8VC, Founders Fund and General Catalyst, among other firms, and more than doubled the company’s previous valuation.

Anduril Acquires Area-1 (April 2021)

Anduril announced the acquisition of Area-1, an aerospace company specializing in autonomous systems. Founded in 2009, Area-1 worked with the Army to develop a system for launching fixed-wing autonomous aircraft. The acquisition helped expand Anduril’s product offerings.

Anduril Launches Interceptor Drone (October 2019)

Following the launch of its Lattice platform, Anduril branched out into autonomous aircraft with its Interceptor drone. The Interceptor drones operate autonomously and can detect and neutralize aerial threats. The aircraft was purportedly one of the first computer-operated weapons to enter overseas conflicts.

Anduril Tests Lattice Surveillance Towers (June 2018)

Working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Anduril tested its Lattice Surveillance System along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Lattice Surveillance Towers use virtual reality, thermal imaging and computer vision to identify unauthorized crossings along the border without needing additional manpower. The surveillance towers were Anduril’s first product and validated its approach to using AI and autonomous technology for national security.

Anduril is Founded (April 2017)

After developing the Oculus virtual reality headset and working at Meta, Palmer Luckey launched Anduril alongside co-founders Trae Stephens, Matt Grimm, Joe Chen and Brian Schimpf. The new company aimed to develop advanced defense technology at faster rates than traditional development cycles by self-funding initial research and development before securing government contracts.