A major US defense technology company is preparing to manufacture next-generation autonomous combat drones for the British Army on the Isle of Wight, marking one of the most significant foreign defense investments in British aerospace in years.
California-based Anduril Industries, the fast-growing defense startup valued at $30 billion, has teamed up with British engineering group GKN Aerospace to build components for the drones in Cowes. The plan depends on winning a Defense Department competition to develop a new class of autonomous systems to fly alongside the Army’s Apache attack helicopters.
The program, known as Project NYX, aims to reshape Britain’s battlefield aviation capabilities. The tender documents describe an autonomous platform capable of operating in “contested airspace,” conducting reconnaissance, targeting and precision strikes while reducing risk to aircrew. The goal is to increase the “lethality and survivability” of Apache helicopters while significantly reducing maintenance and logistics costs.
The Ministry of Defense plans to spend around £100 million over the next two years on the first design phase alone, a sign of the urgency created by the widespread use of autonomous drones in the Russia-Ukraine war, which has changed military expectations of unmanned systems.
Founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, the technology entrepreneur who previously developed Oculus VR, Anduril has quickly become one of the most sought-after defense providers in the US, championing AI-powered, low-cost autonomous technology at scale. The increase in valuation over the past year reflects the surging global demand for autonomous defense systems.
Luckey was clear on the moral case for using advanced AI to reduce civilian casualties and improve decision-making. “When it comes to life and death decisions, that’s too critical an area not to use the best technology available,” he told Fox News. “When it comes to killing people, you have to minimize collateral damage and be as effective as possible.”
Anduril has been expanding its presence in the UK over the last two years, establishing partnerships with domestic engineering firms such as Atom Performance Technologies, Flarebright, Olsen Actuators and Isembard. The company says its UK supply chain already supports 50,000 jobs and the new project on the Isle of Wight would deepen these relationships even further as the UK is expected to increase its defense spending to £73.5 billion by 2028.
Dave Bond, senior vice president of defense technology at GKN Aerospace, hailed the move as an “extremely exciting partnership” that will “bring completely new defense solutions to market in the shortest possible time.”
Local leaders welcomed the announcement as a boost for advanced manufacturing on the Isle of Wight. Richard Quigley, MP for the Isle of Wight West, said the partnership “shows that innovative, high-tech defense capabilities are being developed here” and will help secure local jobs and build vital technical skills.
