Credit: Anduril Industries/YouTube In May, Anduril Technologies showed its AI-powered Fury drone, a pilotless combat drone developed under the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, to transform aerial warfare through autonomous, cockpit-free design and human-supervised AI.
Unlike its predecessors, Fury is purpose-built from the ground up as a fully autonomous combat aircraft. With no cockpit, it’s roughly half the size of an F-16 and engineered for high-G maneuvers, reaching altitudes up to 50,000 feet and speeds near (729 mph).
While still awaiting official procurement, the Anduril Fury drone is categorized as a Group 5 unmanned aircraft system (UAS), the most advanced class, which includes drones like the MQ-9 Reaper.
According to Anduril, its Fury drone is a fighter jet without a pilot and can carry air-to-air weapons and perform agile tasks. Outfitted with a Williams FJ44-4M commercial engine and twin hardpoints for missiles, its design allows for rapid manufacturing of an autonomous air vehicle if selected by the Air Force.
Unmanned Aircraft Systems Army and US Air Force
Powered by Anduril’s Lattice AI software, the Fury autonomous air vehicle can identify, select, and engage targets independently, though human oversight remains built into the system.
“Fury will be able to identify potential targets and engage,” said CEO Brian Schimpf, “but a human can always step in to trigger its kill switch or change target parameters.
The system aligns with the Air Force’s strategy to deploy unmanned aircraft systems
alongside the F-35 Lightning II, extending combat range while reducing risk to pilots. One of the principal advantages is its cost: early estimates place Fury at $25–30 million – less than half the cost of an F-35, allowing for deployment on a mass scale.
Despite its promise, the concept of killer drones holds ethical and practical issues regarding unmanned aircraft systems operations, with critics warning of machines determining life and death, while supporters see the technology as an inevitable next step in modern warfare.
As US superweapons claim to be clinging to its monopoly on unmanned aerial vehicles, Anduril’s Fury drone may personify a new age of AI-flown military jets that are faster, cheaper, and maybe even deadlier, yet still dancing on the uneasy tightrope between automation and accountability.
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