'AI Is Important...For The Way We Deter Wars,' Says Anduril Founder After Winning US Air Force Contract To Develop Autonomous Fighter Jets

Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril Industries, has praised his company’s contract with the U.S. Air Force to develop autonomous fighter jets.

What Happened: During CNBC’s “Last Call” on Thursday, Luckey expressed his excitement about the project.

He stated, "It’s also a milestone for the U.S. Air Force to be building and developing an autonomous fighter jet for the first time at scale, this is really an incredible program."

Along with Anduril, the U.S. Air Force has also selected General Atomics for the program which will involve testing production representative Collaborative Combat Aircraft or CCA.

Luckey also highlighted the importance of AI in wars.

“AI is an important part, not just for the economy but also for the way we deter wars, fight wars, and win wars. And the CCA program is a reflection of that. Building autonomous fighter jets to fight alongside people is a very challenging application of AI.”

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Why It Matters: Anduril acquired autonomous aircraft developer Blue Force Technologies, which developed the Fury, a group 5 autonomous air vehicle with fighter-like performance.

This contract signifies a significant step for Anduril Industries and the wider defense technology sector. The Fury is capable of pulling 9Gs at Mach 0.95 for a fraction of the cost of similarly performant fighter craft, according to Luckey.

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) of the Pentagon, known for its collaboration with startups, is set to receive a significant increase in funding and support. The DIU has granted 62 contracts worth $5.5 billion to startups for products ranging from autonomous drones to cybersecurity software.

This comes amid a potential surge in defense spending by Western nations to counter Russia and China's growing military power. The U.S. and its allies are contemplating a significant surge in defense spending, which could surpass $10 trillion in the next decade.

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