Deep-diving into Anduril's new Thunder tilt-rotor, attack drone
Sandboxx News ·
Anduril has unveiled its newest large tilt-rotor attack drone, dubbed "Thunder," that is meant to engage targets as a loyal wingman for Apache helicopters or operate as an autonomous offensive or defensive asset. Anduril has made significant inroads with Pentagon acquisitions since its launch in 2017. Today, the company is already producing the YFQ-44 Fury AI-piloted collaborative combat aircraft for the U.S. Air Force; reusable Roadrunner M jet-powered interceptors for the U.S. Navy; thousands of low-cost Barracuda 500M cruise missiles for multiple customers; and a long list of other UAS and counter-UAS systems. But Thunder represents a new area of focus for Anduril. As a large Group 5 unmanned system (typically defined as a drone that weighs more than 1,320 pounds and is capable of flying over 18,000 feet in altitude) this new tilt-rotor attack aircraft may be among the largest aircraft Anduril has fielded to date. While few details are known about Thunder, Anduril gave Sandboxx News the opportunity to speak with members of the drone's design team prior to the platform’s unveiling. Thunder was developed by Anduril in partnership with Archer Aviation, which specializes in electric vertical take-off and landing, or eVTOL, platforms like the six-rotor Midnight air taxi. Anduril says that partnership with Archer has allowed them to field a hybrid electric propulsion system to power Thunder’s two tilt-rotor props. While Anduril would not disclose the platform’s exact size, payload capabilities, or range, the firm’s senior vice president of engineering, Shane Arnott, confirmed to Sandboxx News that the aircraft was designed specifically to deliver a similar payload to today’s AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, but at the significantly higher speeds and ranges of the Army's MV-75 Cheyenne tilt-rotor aircraft (formerly known as the V-280 Valor during its prototype stage). Specifically, the MV-75’s cruising speed is listed as around 320 miles per hour and that’s likely
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