Autonomous drone maker Anduril says it will consider manufacturing in the UK as Europe looks to bolster its military power.
“If we get enough orders, absolutely we are planning to open a facility in the UK,” Rich Drake, the company’s UK and Europe manager, told Bloomberg.
The European Union earlier this month said it sought to boost defense spending during what it called a new “era of rearmament.” The announcement followed President Donald Trump’s order to pause US military aid to Ukraine after a contentious televised meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Anduril Industries, cofounded in 2017 by Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, is one of the defense industry’s leaders in autonomous drone manufacturing. Over the past few years, Anduril has won hundreds of millions in defense contracts from the US government, including a $642 million deal this month to create anti-drone tech for Marine Corps bases.
London-based logistics company Sifted first reported on March 18 that Anduril was considering building a factory, as well as a research and development center, near Oxford and Cambridge, which the UK government has said it wants to be the country’s next “Silicon Valley.”
On March 6, the UK government awarded Anduril £30 million to supply its Altius 600m and Altius 700m drones to Ukraine. The drones, which are known as “loitering munitions,” are designed to monitor an area before striking targets that enter it, the UK Ministry of Defence said in a press release.
The ministry said Anduril continues to “invest significantly” in the UK, has a “large footprint across the country,” and plans to scale rapidly.
“Our focus on developing and deploying technology where and when it’s needed is at the core of everything we do — from the rapid delivery of Altius to Ukraine to the expansion of our presence here in the UK,” Drake said in the release. “We look forward to strengthening our partnership with the Ministry of Defence to protect our nation and our allies.”
Anduril did not immediately return a request from Business Insider for comment.
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