the Air Force announced that it had chosen two little-known drone manufacturers – Anduril Industries of Costa Mesa, California, and General Atomics of San Diego – to build prototype versions of its proposed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), a future unmanned plane intended to accompany piloted aircraft on high-risk combat missions. The lack of coverage was surprising, given that the Air Force expects to acquire at least 1,000 CCAs over the coming decade at around $30 million each, making this one of the Pentagon’s costliest new projects. But consider that the least of what the media failed to note. In winning the CCA contract, Anduril and General Atomics beat out three of the country’s largest and most powerful defense contractors – Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman
an assortment of new firms, born in Silicon Valley or incorporating its disruptive ethos, have begun to challenge the older ones for access to lucrative Pentagon awards. In the process, something groundbreaking, though barely covered in the mainstream media, is underway
I have heard of General Atomic. We know that Boeing and Lockheed make a cluster out of anything they touch, so I am glad to see them have some competition.
I actually worked in General Atomics headquarters building for a couple of years in the late 1980’s in La Jolla, CA. The whole operation was sold to a real estate developer for the land value. The nuclear stuff General Atomics was working on didn’t seem to be of much value to anyone, not even to the Gov’t.
A Private Equity operator bought the brand and name and it’s a small private company that makes drones today. Though they still seem to be involved with the fusion pipedream – I guess they got some Gov’t funding.
Anduril Industries squeezes $70 million from t he Ohio Department of Development’s All Ohio Future Fund for a prospective weapons factory called Arsenal-1
Going all in, the state is approving about $450 million in tax breaks for Anduril, which itself will invest about $1 billion into the project.
Anduril plans to make autonomous and semi-autonomous weapons there.
