Anduril Altius

An Anduril/Area-I ALTIUS-600 Tube-Launched Unmanned Aerial System in flight

Altius (Agile Launched, Tactically-Integrated Unmanned System) is a series of fixed-wing, tube-launched unmanned aerial vehicles developed by Area-I, an Atlanta-based subsidiary of Anduril Industries acquired in April 2021. Altius 600 accepts a modular payload on the nose. It can be launched from different launchers and platforms, including C-130 aircraft, UH-60 Blackhawks, and various ground vehicles, as well as larger UAVs, including the MQ-1C Grey Eagle and Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie stealth UCAV.

Deployment

A Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie deploys an Altius-600, 2021.

The Altius is a component of the U.S. Army's Air-Launched Effects (ALE). Swarms can operate in a mesh network. The Altius is designed to be low-cost and expendable, but can be recovered mid-flight with Flying Air Recovery System (FLARES). The loitering munition version of Altius has a range of 280 miles (450 km) and four hours flying time.

In 2022 NOAA conducts the first successful launch of the Altius-600 into a hurricane, Hurricane Ian, which records winds up to 216 miles per hour (348 km/h).

Hundreds of Altius UAVs were sent to Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion. According to Andruil, "they’ve proven effective against a large number of high-value enemy assets." In 2024, the Security Service of Ukraine stopped using them due to their vulnerability to Russian jamming.

The Australian Government announced in October 2026 that the Royal Australian Navy's Ghost Shark autonomous underwater vehicles could launch Anduril Altius UAVs.

Operators

References

  1. ↑ "Anduril".
  2. ↑ Parsons, Dan (22 April 2022). "Army To Test Its Biggest Interactive Drone Swarm Ever Over Utah". The Drive. The Drive. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  3. ↑ Roque, Ashley (29 September 2020). "Unmanned-Unmanned teaming: US Army demos Area-I's Altius-600 air-launched effects". Janes.com. Janes. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  4. ↑ Reim, Garrett. "US Army catches 'air-launched effect' drones in mid-air using another UAV". Flight Global. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  5. ↑ Kinder, Tabby (March 27, 2024). "How Silicon Valley's 'Oppenheimer' found lucrative trade in AI weapons". FT Magazine. Retrieved May 11, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. ↑ "Damaging 2022 Atlantic hurricane season draws to a close". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. November 29, 2022. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  7. ↑ Jeans, David; Bryan-Low, Cassell; Mukherjee, Supantha (November 28, 2025). "US defense firm Anduril faces setbacks from drone crashes". Reuters. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  8. ↑ Holliday, Shelby; Somerville, Heather; MacDonald, Alistair; Glazer, Emily (2025-11-27). "Exclusive | 'We Do Fail … a Lot': Defense Startup Anduril Hits Setbacks With Weapons Tech". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2026-09-05.
  9. ↑ Lowrey, Tom (19 October 2026). "Ghost Sharks to be armed with aerial drones and advanced sea mines". ABC News. Retrieved 19 October 2026.
  10. ↑ Kadidal, Akhil. "Taiwan acquires first batch of Altius-600M loitering munitions". janes.com. Janes. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  11. ↑ Lariosa, Aaron-Matthew. "Taiwan Defense Report Highlights Area Denial Progress". navalnews.com. Naval News. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  12. ↑ Cox, Matthew. "Air Force Buying $50 Million in Small Drones to Support Special Ops Missions". airandspaceforces.com. Air and Space Forces Magazine. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  13. ↑ Safronov, Taras. "Anduril Shows Altius 600M in Action for the First Time in Ukraine". militarnyi.com. Militarnyi. Retrieved 21 November 2025.