Anduril Isn't the Only Private Defense Contractor Building Advanced Air Force Drones
The U.S. Air Force is going all-in on drones. Recently, I covered the award of twin contracts for the production of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) by General Atomics and Anduril Industries -- a $10 billion contract for the winners. Today I'll tell you about a separate, related contract for Air Force drones. It's not quite as big, but at $5 billion in total value, it's not exactly tiny, either. Image source: Getty Images. By 2032, the Air Force wants to have 500 autonomous CCA strike drones in its inventory. Flying alongside them -- and oftentimes controlling them -- will be piloted F-35 stealth fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) . The Air Force wants another set of 500 drones, however, built even more economically, to supplement the strike drones. Continue reading