During testing in 2023, an Anduril Industries Altius-700M drone strikes a dummy SA-17 surface-to-air missile system.

During military testing in Utah, an Anduril Industries drone carrying a 33-pound payload made direct strikes on multiple targets, according to the corporation.

A camera was shaken and a massive blaze was created when an Altius-700M shot out of a ground-based launcher, sliced through the air, and crashed into a simulated SA-17 surface-to-air missile system at the Dugway Proving Grounds.

The September incident, the specifics of which had not yet been made public, was the first time Anduril engineers had tested a live warhead on the 100-mile-range, more-than-an-hour-long Altius-700M. The technology “was accurate and effective against the chosen target set,” according to the business, and all test objectives had been met.

Drones and other robotic technology are being used by terrorist organizations and militaries all over the world to gather intelligence, improve targeting, and cause havoc from a larger distance. These technologies have been deadly used for months in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and for years in Eastern Europe.

Particularly the Army has shown an increasing interest in unmanned weapons, such as launched impacts and lingering bombs. To detect, disrupt, fool, or destroy enemy assets, the latter can be launched from the ground or hurled from bigger aircraft that are already in the air. The design of the Altius-700M took bigger, armored targets into consideration.

It is believed that relatively inexpensive launched effects may expand a force’s arms, ears, and eyes, enabling it to study and attack areas that would otherwise be deemed too hazardous or expensive.

A representative for Anduril declined to specify who is specifically considering purchasing the Altius-700M.

A separate Altius model was successfully launched by the Army in December, according to reports from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. According to its release, the testing conducted at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, “yielded positive data” that will guide the project going ahead. In 2020, the agency gave ten modest contracts for over $30 million to established technologies connected to launching impacts. RTX, Area-I, and Rockwell Collins were among the victors.

In 2021, Anduril purchased Area-I, located in Georgia. Defense News stated that the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Special Operations Command were among its clients.

Throughout the years, the business has supplied the US government with hundreds of Altius drones. The Pentagon has recently announced aid packages that include smaller versions of Altius for Ukraine.