4 ms·

It's nice to see a contract go to someone that isn't Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, or Boeing every now and then.

throwup238 3y ago
And to a new-ish company like Anduril, too! Palmer Lucky and Co founded it in 2017 which is baby years for a lead defense contractor on a major project like this. IIUC this is the Wingman program for the F22 and F35 so these aren't "slow" drones like predators, these are going to be high performance jets. This is a serious contract!
- bglazer 3y ago
  Their website says .95 Mach and 9Gs… in simulation. It’s definitely going to be high powered.
  - bugbuddy 3y ago
    What kind of airframe materials will they need for 9Gs? That sounds like too much for even aerospace Titanium.
    - throwup238 3y ago
      F22 rated load is 9g continuous (~13g burst) and it's made with mostly Ti64, thermoset composites, and aluminum [1]. It's much lower than it can be because there's no point in investing in a stronger airframe when the sustained acceleration would kill any pilot. These unmanned drones can easily be designed to withstand much more. [1] https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-22-mp.htm https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-2...
    - alluro2 3y ago
      9G shouldn't be a problem at all, from a material standpoint. Missiles go to 100G, and F1 engine pistons withstand 8.600G (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-force https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-force).
      - mkl 3y ago
        To clarify, that's 8600g, not 8.6g. Also in that table: Acceleration of a nematocyst: the fastest recorded acceleration from any biological entity. 5,410,000 g!
      - fennecbutt 3y ago
        Ah the list sorts alphabetically and not numerically, looks like.
    - ahazred8ta 3y ago
      The F-16 avionics are limited to 9G, but the fuselage is able to handle much more when not carrying a full load of fuel. 9Gs is standard for a fighter.
    - luma 3y ago
      The major failure point in a 9G-capable airframe is the meatbag that is traditionally placed inside.
- mrpippy 3y ago
  The Fury program being sold here was developed by Blue Force Technologies (founded in 2010), which Anduril purchased last year.

And to a new-ish company like Anduril, too! Palmer Lucky and Co founded it in 2017 which is baby years for a lead defense contractor on a major project like this. IIUC this is the Wingman program for the F22 and F35 so these aren't "slow" drones like predators, these are going to be high performance jets. This is a serious contract!

bglazer 3y ago
Their website says .95 Mach and 9Gs… in simulation. It’s definitely going to be high powered.
- bugbuddy 3y ago
  What kind of airframe materials will they need for 9Gs? That sounds like too much for even aerospace Titanium.
  - throwup238 3y ago
    F22 rated load is 9g continuous (~13g burst) and it's made with mostly Ti64, thermoset composites, and aluminum [1]. It's much lower than it can be because there's no point in investing in a stronger airframe when the sustained acceleration would kill any pilot. These unmanned drones can easily be designed to withstand much more. [1] https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-22-mp.htm https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-2...
  - alluro2 3y ago
    9G shouldn't be a problem at all, from a material standpoint. Missiles go to 100G, and F1 engine pistons withstand 8.600G (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-force https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-force).
    - mkl 3y ago
      To clarify, that's 8600g, not 8.6g. Also in that table: Acceleration of a nematocyst: the fastest recorded acceleration from any biological entity. 5,410,000 g!
    - fennecbutt 3y ago
      Ah the list sorts alphabetically and not numerically, looks like.
  - ahazred8ta 3y ago
    The F-16 avionics are limited to 9G, but the fuselage is able to handle much more when not carrying a full load of fuel. 9Gs is standard for a fighter.
  - luma 3y ago
    The major failure point in a 9G-capable airframe is the meatbag that is traditionally placed inside.
mrpippy 3y ago
The Fury program being sold here was developed by Blue Force Technologies (founded in 2010), which Anduril purchased last year.