Hermeus has selected Anduril to equip its high-Mach Quarterhorse uncrewed aircraft with a flight-proven mission autonomy system.
Under the partnership, Anduril’s Lattice software will be integrated into the Quarterhorse Mk2, enabling autonomous operations during high-speed flight.
Lattice will also give human operators a common interface for monitoring and interacting with the aircraft from launch through landing.
The partnership will allow Anduril to test Lattice aboard a high-Mach uncrewed platform. The companies described the agreement as the first commercial deal to integrate the mission autonomy system into a large third-party unmanned aircraft.
For Hermeus, the integration advances plans to test Quarterhorse as a potential military platform.
“Pairing mission autonomy with high-speed flight will drive the next critical phase of military aviation – both of our teams are excited to make it real,” Anduril stated.
‘Fastest Unmanned Aircraft’
Hermeus describes Quarterhorse as the “fastest unmanned aircraft flying today.” The company has secured approximately $1 billion in commitments and investments from government and private-sector partners.
The aircraft was developed using a hardware-first approach intended to accelerate design iterations and flight testing.
“Our mission is straightforward: build today’s fastest aircraft for the American Warfighter. The concept is simple but the task is monumental,” Hermeus stated.
Establishing a Common Standard
Quarterhorse Mk2 joins a growing group of uncrewed platforms connected through Lattice.
The mission autonomy system has already supported live flights under the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, which is developing semi-autonomous combat jets that can operate alongside crewed aircraft.
The Hermeus partnership extends Lattice to another aircraft developer as Anduril works to establish its software as a common integration standard for autonomous military platforms.
The first flight of the Lattice-equipped Quarterhorse Mk2 is planned for 2027.
