A significant strategic partnership has been announced between German defense giant Rheinmetall and American technology firm Anduril Industries, focusing on the co-development and manufacturing of advanced autonomous air systems and propulsion technologies for the European defense market. This collaboration aims to bolster Europe’s defense capabilities with rapidly deployable, modular solutions.
According to a press release from Anduril Industries, the alliance will initially concentrate on three key areas: integrating a European version of Anduril’s Barracuda autonomous air vehicle into Rheinmetall’s “Battlesuite” digital sovereignty framework, incorporating a European variant of Anduril’s high-performance Fury autonomous air vehicle into the same framework, and exploring opportunities for solid rocket motors using Anduril’s innovative production methods for European use.
The Barracuda, described as a cost-effective and mass-producible autonomous air vehicle, is designed for a variety of missions, supporting diverse payloads and targeting configurations. Its integration is intended to provide European militaries with a flexible and affordable option for their operational demands. The Fury, a multi-mission Group 5 autonomous air vehicle, is engineered to offer performance comparable to fighter jets and can operate in conjunction with both manned and unmanned aircraft. Its inclusion in Rheinmetall’s system will allow individual nations to customize command-and-control functions and define operational parameters independently.
Furthermore, the partnership’s exploration into solid rocket motors seeks to enhance Europe’s access to reliable propulsion systems, fostering industrial redundancy and scalable production capabilities, particularly where domestic manufacturing might not yet be fully self-sufficient.
Brian Schimpf, CEO of Anduril Industries, highlighted that this partnership represents “a different model of defense collaboration, one built on shared production, operational relevance, and mutual respect for sovereignty.” He further mentioned that the joint effort with Rheinmetall aims to create systems that can be swiftly produced, broadly deployed, and adapted as NATO missions evolve.
Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, stated that by integrating Anduril’s solutions into Rheinmetall’s European production setup and digital sovereignty framework, the companies are “building on that foundation to bring new kinds of autonomous capabilities into service, ones that are quick to produce, modular, and aligned with NATO’s evolving requirements.”
This collaboration builds upon previous joint initiatives between the two companies, including the development of multi-layered counter-UAS solutions and their involvement in the U.S. Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program. The current partnership is characterized by a “built with, not for” philosophy, prioritizing local control, transparency, and adaptability over dependence on single vendors. The systems developed will be jointly produced across Europe, involving sovereign suppliers and local industrial partners to ensure deep regional integration and benefit.
