U.S. startup Hermeus has announced that its Quarterhorse Mk 2 high-speed drone will be equipped with autonomy software provided by defense technology company Anduril. The two companies exclusively shared details of the partnership with Breaking Defense.
Under the agreement, Anduril’s Lattice mission-autonomy suite will be integrated with the Quarterhorse for a series of flight tests scheduled to begin next year.
The Quarterhorse is being developed with funding from the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit. The program’s goal is for the aircraft to reach speeds of up to Mach 3.
Automating flight operations
Hermeus CEO Zach Shore said Anduril was viewed as the natural partner after the company evaluated several available solutions.
To date, the Quarterhorse has been tested through remote control. The next phase will focus on automating a significant number of flight functions.
“We now need to automate a lot of those flight controls,” Shore explained. The objective is for an operator to be able to press a button to start the aircraft and automatically initiate procedures such as takeoff.
That level of automation would allow a single person to manage multiple platforms simultaneously. According to Shore, the capability is necessary regardless of the mission the aircraft ultimately performs because it would provide greater command-and-control capability and scalability.
An end-to-end autonomous solution
Brett Darcey, Anduril’s general manager and vice president for mission autonomy in air dominance and strike, said the company would provide a complete solution for autonomous operations.
The package will include both the software required to control the aircraft in flight and the ground-control systems used by operators.
Anduril emphasized that the project is not merely a technology experiment. Integrating Lattice is intended to prepare the Quarterhorse for live operations and accelerate its transition toward practical use.
A testing opportunity for Anduril
The partnership will also benefit Anduril. Its Lattice system is already being considered for the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.
Integrating the system with the Quarterhorse will provide an opportunity to test the technology on a large, high-speed platform operating in a more demanding mission environment.
According to Darcey, the partnership expands the potential market for Lattice. Experience gained from operating a fast autonomous aircraft could diversify the company’s testing scenarios and improve the overall product.
Financial details remain undisclosed
The two executives declined to discuss the financial value of the agreement.
Shore confirmed that the arrangement is a contractual partnership involving an exchange of funds. Darcey described it as an agreement offering mutual economic benefits, along with the possibility of additional commercial opportunities in the future.
Shore said the partnership could also support the companies’ work for the U.S. government, particularly the integration of an autonomous system built around a government reference architecture.
He declined to provide specific details about any discussions involving government contracts.
Potential future military applications
The Hermeus CEO said the Quarterhorse program has received substantial support within the U.S. government.
He added that there is currently no fixed end date for the partnership with Anduril. However, if the Pentagon eventually decides to acquire the Quarterhorse as a weapons system, government customers would retain the authority to integrate whichever autonomy providers they consider appropriate.
In a favorable scenario, as the aircraft becomes operational and is produced in larger quantities, Hermeus and Anduril could jointly market the combination of the airframe and its autonomous control system.
Shore summarized the concept as: “This airplane and this brain.”
