Counter-UAS for the US Marine Corps: Anduril wins contract worth around 600 million euros

A contract worth around 600 million euros commits Anduril Industries to supplying counter-UAS technology to the US Marine Corps (USMC); the counter-drone systems are intended for the Corps’ bases.

Over ten years (2025 to 2035), the Californian company will provide systems to defeat small unmanned aircraft systems – under US classification, those of Groups 1 & 2, weighing up to 24 kilograms and flying at altitudes of up to 1,000 metres. For all US Marine Corps bases worldwide, the contract covers installation, delivery and maintenance as well as other service-related measures.

Anduril Industries was founded by Palmer Luckey, a former gaming entrepreneur and start-up founder who is often called the “Elon Musk of the defence industry”.

The official announcement does not say which model was chosen or in what quantity. However, recently published video clips suggest that it could be the micro-jet-powered Roadrunner-M – possibly combined with other Anduril products such as the Altius fixed-wing aircraft.

This short-range interceptor launches vertically from small containers. If no destruction mission is required, it can also land vertically again, resting on four fold-out legs – a sight reminiscent of the booster recovery of the SpaceX Starship.

Palmer Luckey and Peter Thiel

Palmer Luckey is just 31 years old, yet he has already secured a firm place in the tech and defence industries. He first made big money in 2014 by developing virtual reality hardware. The billion-dollar sale of his start-up Oculus to Facebook then laid the foundation for Anduril Industries.

When he founded Anduril in 2017, he was supported by Palantir founder Peter Thiel, who not only encouraged him but also invested in the company through his start-up fund.

Before that, many venture capitalists had not taken Luckey seriously or had rejected his vision of a defence start-up. At the time, the idea did not fit at all with Silicon Valley’s liberal start-up culture.

Luckey and Thiel, however, differ from the typical Silicon Valley executive:

• Both deliberately target US government agencies as customers.
• Both support the Republican Party.
• Neither has any qualms about working with the military.

What counter-UAS at the bases is to look like

In the tender published in February of last year, the company from Costa Mesa, California, prevailed against nine other bidders, whose names were not disclosed.

Anduril was contracted by MARCORSYSCOM, the US Marine Corps’ materiel command in Quantico, Virginia. It will deliver a network of defence installations designed to detect, track, identify and neutralise small drones and other threats to USMC personnel and facilities.

According to Anduril, around 80 per cent of the project work will be carried out at its headquarters in Costa Mesa. The remainder is split between Washington, D.C., and other USMC sites.

The official wording of the contract shows that it is not only about destructive defence systems: the US Marine Corps requires a solution that can physically defeat threats but also jam them electronically. It states verbatim: “The kill chain will comprise integrated and networked sensor nodes – combined with the ability to protect the defended asset both kinetically and non-kinetically, depending on local laws and policies at each site.”

There is no doubt that Anduril’s “Roadrunner” plays a key role in this concept. The micro-jet-powered defence system is already in the US military’s inventory.

Further contracts for Anduril

As early as October 2024, Anduril had also received a separate contract with the Pentagon. It covers the provision of:

• counter-drone systems,
• the Pulsar electronic protection suite,
• and the autonomous, AI-controlled Roadrunner drone hunter.

These systems are likely to be intended mainly for US Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

Last year, Anduril Industries also won another major contract from the US Air Force. Together with General Atomics, it was selected to develop and deliver 1,000 collaborative (CCA) unmanned stealth combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) – Anduril with the Fury (YFQ-44A), on an equal footing with General Atomics (YFQ-42A). Both so-called “wingmen” are to fly for the first time this year.