Also, the defense contractor Anduril Industries, founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, has in recent months suffered some catastrophic blows. Even their autonomous weapons systems failed at military tests. The company, perhaps best known for its cutting-edge defense technologies, has experienced a string of failures surrounding its drone boats and unmanned aerial vehicles.
This past May, Anduril sent more than a dozen of these drone boats to a Navy exercise off the coast of California. These vessels succumbed to tragedies exacerbated by numerous safety infractions, often with the predictably bleak outcome of loss of life. Now, the crash at issue serves as a cautionary tale of what can happen when we deploy untested technology at scale to our streets.
Anduril’s unmanned jet fighter, Fury, suffered an embarrassing failure in a major ground test over the summer. To make things worse, a mechanical issue severely damaged its engine. These failures in critical systems all point to the inherent difficulty of making cutting-edge military technology reliable and safe.
A recent Army test of Anduril’s new Anvil counterdrone system went… well, didn’t go at all according to plan. It caused a 22-acre spot fire in Oregon. This recent incident has led to major concerns over the operational efficacy and safety of Anduril’s technologies.
The problems encountered by Anduril have not escaped international attention. According to multiple news reports, Anduril’s devices were stopped by Ukrainian forces from being deployed in 2024. Ukrainian SBU security service front-line salting soldiers found downed Altius loitering drones. The main drones used so far, produced by Anduril, have failed to perform effectively against their targets. As a result of this development, questions are being raised about the operational effectiveness and trustworthiness of Anduril’s products in battle scenarios.
Despite these setbacks, Anduril insists that these kinds of troubles are par for the course in weapons development. The company asserts that its engineering team is making meaningful progress and working diligently to address any issues encountered during testing. Moreover, Anduril argues that these occurrences are not indicative of any intrinsic defects in its technology.
In June, Anduril completed an incredible round of $2.5 billion at a nosebleed valuation of $30.5 billion. Founders Fund was the lead circle of investment support that helped incubate the company. This financial backing shows that there is still confidence in Anduril’s long-term potential even after all that bad news.
