Engineering the Future of Defense with Hydrogen and Rapid Innovation

In the fast-paced world of defense technology, where agility and groundbreaking solutions are paramount, Mach Industries has emerged as a compelling force. This Huntington Beach, California-based company, founded by a young and ambitious entrepreneur, is not just building defense systems; it’s revolutionizing their energy source and manufacturing processes. At its core, Mach Industries is driven by a singular vision: to create hydrogen-fueled defense systems and establish a vertically integrated industrial base that ensures rapid deployment and supply chain resilience for the United States and its allies.

A Bold Vision from a Young Innovator

The story of Mach Industries is intrinsically linked to its founder and CEO, Ethan Thornton. A former MIT student, Thornton made the audacious decision to drop out in 2022, at the age of just 19, to dedicate himself entirely to building Mach Industries. His journey began with high school experiments in hydrogen-powered systems, leading to a profound realization: hardware solutions could fill critical gaps in the U.S. defense ecosystem.

Thornton’s early experiences, including work with MIT Lincoln Laboratory, a Department of Defense R&D center, allowed him to build crucial government connections and recruit key team members. He brought in industry veterans like Erik Limpaecher, former Chief Innovation Officer at MIT Lincoln Lab’s energy systems group, and Mark Donahue, former VP of Engineering at the same facility, demonstrating a strategic blend of youthful ambition and seasoned expertise. This foundation, coupled with Thornton’s conviction in hydrogen as a revolutionary energy source for defense, quickly attracted attention. In 2023, Sequoia Capital made its first-ever defense tech investment in Mach Industries, a significant validation of the company’s potential.

The Hydrogen Advantage: Powering the Next Generation of Warfare

Mach Industries’ most distinguishing feature is its unwavering focus on hydrogen-fueled defense systems. While traditional defense hardware often relies on fossil fuels, with their inherent logistical complexities and environmental impact, Mach is pursuing a greener, more efficient alternative. Hydrogen offers several key advantages:

• High Energy Density: Hydrogen boasts an incredibly high energy density by mass, meaning it can store a substantial amount of energy for its weight, crucial for extended flight durations and operational range in unmanned systems.
• Clean Combustion: When hydrogen is reacted with oxygen, the only byproduct is water, making it a far cleaner energy source than traditional fuels and aligning with growing demands for more sustainable defense operations.
• Field Sourcing Potential: Mach Industries is exploring techniques for field-sourced hydrogen creation, which could dramatically reduce reliance on complex fuel supply chains, particularly in remote or contested environments. This vertical integration of the energy chain is a cornerstone of their strategy.

The company’s commitment to hydrogen is not just theoretical; it’s already translating into tangible partnerships. In March 2025, Mach Industries announced a partnership with HevenDrones, a global leader in hydrogen-powered drone technology. This collaboration will integrate Mach’s “Forge Network,” a survivable manufacturing network, with HevenDrones’ advanced UAV technology to produce a new generation of hydrogen-powered drones. This partnership aims to produce thousands, potentially tens of thousands, of drones, with a focus on endurance, adaptability, and reliability for demanding military missions, directly addressing the dominance of Chinese drone manufacturers.

Product Portfolio: Lethal Systems for Asymmetric Capability

Mach Industries is developing a portfolio of unmanned aerial systems and advanced hardware designed to address future warfare challenges and enhance global security. Their product line includes:

• Viper (Strategic Strike Aircraft): This vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) strategic strike aircraft is designed to deliver lethal effects in a decentralized manner, without the need for runways. It’s a jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle that embodies rapid deployment and flexibility. Under a contract with the U.S. Army Applications Laboratory awarded in Q3 2024, the Viper, also known as “Strategic Strike,” is being developed as a turbojet-powered cruise missile. It boasts an impressive 290-kilometer range and can carry a 10+ kilogram warhead. This missile is specifically tailored for company and brigade-level maneuvering units, enabling them to strike high-value targets like radar arrays and artillery well beyond forward lines. Early flight tests were successfully completed by January 2025, and Mach is actively integrating AI and radio frequency sensing for operations in GPS and communications-denied environments.
• Glide: A high-speed, high-altitude vehicle, Glide is designed to deliver “incontestable fires” hundreds of miles downrange. Its capability to operate at extreme altitudes offers unique advantages for surveillance, reconnaissance, and precision strike missions.
• Stratos: This airborne satellite platform is equipped with advanced sensors and communication capabilities. Designed for operation at extreme altitudes, Stratos can provide persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, effectively extending the reach of military networks without relying on traditional, vulnerable ground infrastructure.

These platforms are not merely concepts; they represent a tangible shift towards next-generation warfare, emphasizing unmanned systems, distributed operations, and the ability to deter kinetic conflict with agile, lethal capabilities.

Forge Network: Reimagining Defense Manufacturing

Beyond innovative products, Mach Industries is fundamentally transforming the manufacturing paradigm for defense hardware. They are establishing a “vertically integrated industrial base for unmanned warfare” through their “Forge Network.” This decentralized manufacturing network is designed to:

• Ensure Supply Chain Resiliency: By bringing critical manufacturing processes in-house and establishing a distributed network, Mach Industries aims to reduce reliance on vulnerable external supply chains, ensuring continuous output even in contested environments.
• Accelerate Pace of Innovation: Vertical integration allows for rapid iteration and prototyping. Designs can move from concept to physical production much faster, enabling Mach to quickly adapt to evolving threats and customer requirements.
• Scale Production Rapidly: The Forge Network is built for scalability. The partnership with HevenDrones, with its potential for thousands of drones per day, exemplifies this commitment to high-volume, rapid production, a critical need in modern military operations.
• Empower Allies with Sovereign Production: Mach Industries plans to expand its Forge network globally, building overseas factories to guarantee sovereign production to U.S. allies. This decentralized model ensures that allied nations can rapidly acquire and maintain cutting-edge defense technology.

Their flagship factory, Forge Huntington, a 115,000-square-foot production facility in Huntington Beach, California, is at the forefront of this manufacturing revolution.

Strategic Funding and Partnerships: Building a Robust Ecosystem

Mach Industries has rapidly gained significant traction and financial backing from leading venture capital firms and the U.S. government, validating their ambitious vision.

• Funding Rounds: After a seed round led by Sequoia Capital in 2023, Mach Industries secured a significant Series A round of $79 million in October 2023, led by Bedrock Capital, at a valuation of $335 million. Most recently, in June 2025, the company announced a $100 million Series B funding round, co-led by Khosla Ventures and Bedrock Capital, with participation from Sequoia. This brings their total funding to approximately $185 million and values the company at $470 million. These substantial investments underscore the venture community’s belief in Mach’s disruptive potential within the defense sector.
• Government Collaboration: Mach Industries works closely with various branches of the U.S. Department of Defense, including the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Special Operations Command, as well as allied governments. Their contract with the Army Applications Laboratory for the Viper cruise missile is a prime example of their direct engagement in critical defense programs. Ethan Thornton emphasizes that “the work we do is done in direct contact with the State Department, the Department of Defense, and members of Congress. There’s a lot of oversight. That’s how it should be.”
• Strategic Alliances: The partnership with HevenDrones is a clear indication of Mach Industries’ strategy to build a robust ecosystem of collaborators. This approach allows them to integrate specialized technologies and accelerate the development and deployment of their hydrogen-powered systems.

Leadership and Culture: Scrappy Spirit Meets Industrial Scale

Under Ethan Thornton’s leadership, Mach Industries has grown from a lean startup to a rapidly expanding operation, scaling from approximately 20 employees to 140 in under a year. This growth is driven by a unique blend of a “scrappy” startup spirit and a commitment to building substantial industrial capabilities. Thornton highlights this balance: “I would say we’re still equally scrappy, but now it’s very exciting to have a full factory and a team that’s equal parts industry veterans and new talent.”

The company’s culture is deeply rooted in engineering obsession and a singular focus on delivering value to the defense customer. They prioritize rapid iteration and operational resilience, understanding that modern warfare demands speed, adaptability, and robust systems.

The Future: Expanding Horizons and Asymmetric Advantage

Mach Industries is positioning itself not just for incremental improvements but for a fundamental shift in defense capabilities. Their long-term vision includes:

• Scaling Production: Continuing to expand the Forge Network and manufacturing capacity to meet the urgent demand for thousands, and eventually tens of thousands, of unmanned systems.
• Advanced Propulsion Systems: Further investment in their tactical engine division, Mach Propulsion, to continue pushing the boundaries of hydrogen-fueled propulsion.
• New Product Development: While details remain undisclosed, Mach Industries is actively developing new products to address emerging threats and capitalize on their core strengths in hydrogen technology and agile manufacturing.
• Deterrence through Asymmetric Capability: Ethan Thornton articulates the company’s ultimate goal: “Global security depends on America’s ability to create asymmetric unmanned capability. That means scaling production, building new facilities and fielding systems that deter conflict.” This focus on creating disproportionate advantage through advanced, cost-effective unmanned systems is central to their mission.

Mach Industries is a powerful example of how a startup, driven by a bold vision and a commitment to vertical integration, can disrupt a traditionally established industry. By pioneering hydrogen-fueled defense systems and reimagining manufacturing processes, they are not just building advanced hardware; they are engineering the future of defense, promising a more agile, resilient, and effective force for national security and global stability. The journey of Ethan Thornton and Mach Industries is one to watch closely as they continue to shape the next generation of warfare.