Anduril与Rheinmetall无人机合作部分缩减，Fury翼僚机联合工作终止

Anduril Industries Inc.’s strategic partnership with Rheinmetall AG has been significantly scaled back a year after it was announced, a blow to the US defense startup’s efforts to broaden its work with major European contractors.

Part of the collaboration, which called for jointly developing and manufacturing European versions of Anduril products, has been suspended, according to people familiar with the matter. They asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public.

The alliance was announced in June 2025 with a goal of integrating the low-cost Barracuda munitions and the Fury autonomous combat aircraft, which is designed to accompany crewed fighters, into Rheinmetall’s Battlesuite digital platform. The companies said they would also explore jointly developing solid rocket motors.

However, Rheinmetall announced a strategic partnership with Boeing Co. in March to provide the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, an Australian-developed drone. That system, like Anduril’s Fury, is a collaborative combat aircraft, or CCA. Rheinmetall and Boeing planned to deliver the aircraft, often called a loyal wingman, to the German armed forces by 2029.

It’s not clear why the German arms manufacturer chose this system over Anduril’s, but the decision contributed to ending the joint work on the Fury wingman.

“Our collaboration with Anduril in the area of software-defined autonomous systems continues independently of the CCA procurement,” a Rheinmetall spokesperson said in a statement.

Uncrewed combat planes can cost tens of millions of dollars and are seen as a key future capability because they can magnify the power of piloted fighter jets.

Germany will evaluate several bids to select an autonomous combat jet, in a reversal from just a month ago when the government looked set to proceed with the MQ-28, Deputy Defense Minister Nils Schmid said this week.

“Our partnership with Rheinmetall is active and ongoing,” an Anduril representative said in a statement. “We continue to pursue programs across multiple capabilities including air defense and command and control.”

Read More: Boeing Unveils Ghost Bat Upgrades in Pursuit of German Orders

Rheinmetall is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the historic European rearmament push since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Yet, some planned partnerships have stumbled as Germany’s largest defense company rushes to invest into new technology to attract some of the hundreds of billions of euros Berlin has committed to defense.

A previous deal with Helsing, Europe’s most valuable defense startup, never took off and was dissolved in 2024.

Drones have become the most effective weapon in the Ukraine war, adding to pressure for major defense contractors to produce them. Germany approved a €300 million ($343 million) deal with Rheinmetall for loitering munition systems in April after signing similar contracts with Helsing and Stark Defence earlier in the year.

Anduril has grown to a $61 billion valuation since its founding in 2017, making it the globe’s best-funded private defense firm. The California-based company has been trying to sell more of its lost-cost drones, maritime vessels and surveillance equipment outside the US. But it has seen limited traction across Europe, where there’s growing movement pushing for local military solutions.

Anduril has said it is willing to open more manufacturing facilities in the UK and Europe. This month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the company agreed to produce 3,000 Barracudas with state-owned arms manufacturers in the country.