One of the aircraft competing to be the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) first-ever uncrewed fighter jet is making its overseas debut at the 2025 Avalon air show. American defence start-up Anduril has brought a full-scale model of its Fury design to Australia, with an eye toward future business opportunities.
In North America, a missionised version of Fury dubbed the YFQ-44A is set to make its initial flight later this year, alongside a competing offering from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, under the USAF’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme.
That effort aims to deliver an autonomous jet that can be affordably produced in large quantities to support conventionally manned fighters in battle. Senior US military officials say such a capability will be crucial to offsetting China’s numerical advantage in ships and aircraft in the Western Pacific.
Anduril hopes Australia, which has for decades sought to closely align its military capability with Washington’s, will follow suit.
“Autonomous air systems will be crucial for achieving air superiority in future conflict,” says David Goodrich, chief executive of Anduril Australia. “Our adversaries are making major investments in this area and we need to move faster to develop autonomous systems for the defence of Australia and our allies.”
Notably, Washington has left open the possibility of exporting the first generation of CCAs through the USA’s Foreign Military Sales system.
Anduril tells FlightGlobal it is open to international interest across its product line, including both the base model Fury and the USAF’s YFQ-44A variant, which is being positioned as a low-maintenance, reusable vehicle for supporting air superiority missions with extra firepower.
“If Fury fills a need for the Australian Defence Force [ADF], we will be ready to support the need,” Goodrich says.
Subsequent iterations of the CCA concept could expand to offer other capabilities, such as air-to-ground strike capability or electronic warfare support. Australia’s homegrown uncrewed jet – the Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat – will initially be oriented towards an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance role.
That platform, a joint development effort between Boeing and the Australian government, made its debut at the 2023 Avalon air show. The aircraft is still in development with uncertain plans around the integration of weapons.
Whether or not local production of an Anduril aircraft in Australia is in the cards remains a matter of speculation.
The California-headquartered company recently announced plans to build its first large-scale production site in the US state of Ohio. That plant will deliver a range of the company’s offerings, including Fury, the Roadrunner drone interceptor and the Barracuda family of cruise missiles.
For now, Anduril declines to address the possibility of any local production agreement for the Fury, should Canberra show an inclination toward the single-engined design.
“Our focus has always been on working with the ADF on its specific needs to develop capability that serves Australia’s needs and supports the government’s strategy of denial,” Anduril says.
The company offers a range of other products, including small uncrewed aerial systems and counter-UAS air defence packages.
Photo: John Appleyard/FlightGlobal
Source: FlightGlobal