It appears Anduril Industries is making a major push into combat drones. Reportedly, the company will begin building its new FURY “loyal wingman” high-speed combat drones in the coming days at a new facility in Ohio, as the U.S. military’s interest in unmanned aircraft surges following battlefield developments in Ukraine and Iran.
According to Reuters, the defense tech start-up is establishing its $1 billion Arsenal-1 autonomous systems manufacturing campus about 20 miles (32 km) south of Columbus, Ohio, in an area surrounded by cornfields and horse farms. The facility is expected to employ more than 4,000 people over the next decade, starting with roughly 250 by the end of this year, officials said on Thursday.
“From the very first prototype, we’ve been working with our engineers on every single build, thinking, how do we design it for production?” Matt Grimm, Anduril’s co-founder and chief operating officer said.
As production preparations get underway, attention has turned to the capabilities and role of the company’s flagship drone.
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What is Anduril’s FURY drone?
Anduril FURY (officially called the YFQ-44A Fury) is a jet-powered unmanned combat drone developed by Anduril Industries for the U.S. Air Force. It is part of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, which pairs autonomous drones with human-piloted fighter jets to increase mission capability and reduce risk to pilots.
FURY is classified as a “loyal wingman” drone, meaning it can fly in coordination with crewed aircraft such as the F-35 or F-22, supporting tasks like surveillance, targeting, and air-to-air combat. It is semi-autonomous, relying on human supervision for mission execution.
The drone completed its first flight on October 31, 2025 and, as of 2026, remains under development and testing. Its design emphasizes agility, speed, and autonomous coordination with manned aircraft.
FURY represents the U.S. military’s move toward integrating unmanned systems alongside pilots to enhance operational flexibility and efficiency in modern aerial combat.
Building on this momentum, Reuters reported that production of the company’s FURY autonomous aircraft will be the first to launch at the Ohio facility. The platform is Anduril’s entrant for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program – part of a broader Air Force initiative to develop a next-generation family of systems that pairs crewed fighter jets and other aircraft with uncrewed platforms designed to fly alongside human pilots.
The developments around Anduril’s FURY drone reflect a broader transformation in modern military aviation. The increasing integration of unmanned systems alongside crewed aircraft signals a shift toward more flexible, resilient, and efficient operational strategies. Programs like the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) demonstrate how autonomous technology can enhance situational awareness, reduce risks to human pilots, and expand the tactical capabilities of air forces.
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At the same time, the establishment of large-scale manufacturing facilities such as Anduril’s Arsenal-1 campus underscores the increasing industrial and economic importance of defense technology startups in the national security sector. By scaling production and investing in workforce development, companies like Anduril are positioning themselves to meet rising demand for unmanned platforms, particularly as geopolitical tensions and battlefield experience reinforce the value of autonomous systems.
FURY’s design as a “loyal wingman” also illustrates the potential of human–machine teaming, where unmanned aircraft complement rather than replace pilots. This approach enables more complex mission profiles, quicker adaptation to evolving threats, and a balance between operational effectiveness and personnel safety.
The emergence of systems like FURY marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of air combat. It points to a future where autonomous and semi-autonomous drones are standard components of air fleets, transforming both strategy and logistics while enabling militaries to respond more dynamically to global security challenges.