U.S. Air Force Selects Anduril’s Ghost and Ghost-X to Enhance Autonomy Capabilities
Costa Mesa, Calif. — September 29, 2023 - Defense technology company Anduril Industries announced today it was awarded two contracts with the U.S. Air Force for $8M to work on enhanced autonomy capabilities with Anduril's dual-use Ghost platform and its newest variant, Ghost-X. Ghost is an autonomous uncrewed aircraft system well-suited for reconnaissance, security, and force protection.
With Ghost, Anduril will support the AFWERX mission to transform technology to meet rapidly evolving threats around the world. Through these efforts, Airmen will be able to modify and integrate government software with Ghost’s open architecture autonomy stack. This enables rapid iteration to align with commander’s intent and shifting battlefield dynamics.
Ghost leverages Anduril’s Lattice software platform to automate mission planning, airspace management, and flight operations to reduce the cognitive load and training burden for operators. The Ghost platform adapts to user needs with a flexible design that allows operators to integrate sensors, communications, navigation, and other modular mission payloads across generic interfaces.
This announcement comes after Anduril unveiled the newest modular Ghost variant, Ghost-X, which incorporates operational feedback from over 1,000 Ghost flight hours with a wide range of customers and across diverse environments, including multiple combat theaters. Ghost-X features enhanced flight performance, modular multi-payload carriage, and greater resilience in challenging operational environments. Ghost-X is the next step in the platform’s evolution to deliver autonomy for every mission. Learn more. https://www.anduril.com/article/anduril-unveils-ghost-x/
About AFRL
The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 11,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit www.afresearchlab.com.
About AFWERX
The innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory brings cutting edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. Employs approximately 325 military, civilian and contractor personnel at six hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4B budget. Since 2019, has executed 4,671 contracts worth more than $2B to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: www.afwerx.com.
