# Anvil by Anduril Industries Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/aviation/anvil Frontier: [Aviation](https://technooptimist.io/aviation.md) · Field: Drone interceptors · Company: [Anduril Industries](https://technooptimist.io/companies/anduril.md) Stage: Pilot (3 of 5: Research → Proto → Pilot → Deploy → Scaling) Updated: last update 2026-06-05, facts checked 2026-10-11 Goal: Knock down small attack and spy drones cheaply and without stray debris or missiles over a base. Shooting a $1,000 drone with a missile costing hundreds of thousands is a losing trade. Status: In Marine Corps and NORTHCOM counter-drone kits; Kuwait sale approved June 2026 ## Milestones | Status | Milestone | Date | Slip | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Done | Anvil-M warhead variant unveiled | 5 Oct 2023 | | | Done | Chosen for Marine Corps MADIS counter-drone system ($200M) | Nov 2024 | | | Done | Defeats hostile drone in NORTHCOM exercise Falcon Peak 25.2 | Sep 2025 | | | Done | US approves $1.98B counter-drone sale to Kuwait incl. Anvil | 5 Jun 2026 | | ## Most important updates - **5 Jun 2026**: US approves $1.98B sale of Anduril counter-drone systems to Kuwait, including Anvil interceptors. The US State Department approved a possible sale to Kuwait of Anduril counter-drone equipment estimated at $1.98 billion. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/us-approves-1-98b-sale-of-anduril-counter-drone-systems-to-kuwait-a74ffafb.md) · [original source](https://www.janes.com/defence-intelligence-insights/defence-news/c4isr/us-approves-anduril-c-uas-sale-to-kuwait)) - **20 Oct 2025**: Anduril kit with Anvil interceptor downs hostile drone in NORTHCOM's Falcon Peak exercise. In the September 2025 Falcon Peak 25.2 exercise at Eglin Air Force Base, run by US Northern Command and NORAD, Anduril's counter-drone kit detected and tracked a hostile small drone and Anvil destroyed it. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/anduril-kit-with-anvil-interceptor-downs-hostile-drone-in-northcom-s-80d90197.md) · [original source](https://thedefensepost.com/2025/10/20/anduril-demos-cuas-falcon-peak/amp/)) - **19 Nov 2024**: Marine Corps awards Anduril $200M to build MADIS counter-drone engagement system around Anvil. The US Marine Corps gave Anduril a five-year, $200 million IDIQ contract to develop and deliver the counter-drone engagement system for its Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS), the Corps' main expeditionary counter-drone system. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/marine-corps-awards-anduril-200m-to-build-madis-counter-drone-51297d31.md) · [original source](https://insideunmannedsystems.com/anduril-wins-200-million-contract-to-develop-cuas-for-the-marine-air-defense-integrated-system-madis/)) - **5 Oct 2023**: Anduril unveils Anvil-M, a warhead-carrying version of its Anvil counter-drone interceptor. Anduril showed Anvil-M, a variant of its Anvil interceptor drone that detonates a munition near its target instead of ramming it. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/anduril-unveils-anvil-m-a-warhead-carrying-version-of-its-anvil-counter-a24c15ac.md) · [original source](https://www.defensenews.com/unmanned/uas/2023/10/05/anduril-unveils-anvil-m-counter-drone-kit-that-can-defeat-smaller-uas/)) ## Current obstacles - **Faster targets**: Ramming works against small quadcopters; faster Group 2 drones needed the warhead version, and jet drones are faster still. - **Cost per kill**: Each interceptor is expended, so its price must stay far below the drones it stops when swarms arrive. ## Physics limits - **A rotorcraft is slow**: A quadcopter's speed is capped by rotor tip speed and drag, so it can only catch targets it can reach before they leave its short range. - **Short reach**: Battery energy limits a small interceptor to minutes of flight, so each launch site only protects a few kilometres around it. ## How it works ### Cueing: Radar and sensors find the threat Anduril's Lattice software fuses radar, infrared and radio sensors, tracks the intruder and lets an operator pick an effector. ### Launch: Fired from a box on the base Anvil sits in a Launch Box that can be placed anywhere on a base and launched remotely at any hour. ### Terminal guidance: Locks on with its own sensors In the last seconds onboard computing and sensors hold a lock on the target and steer the drone into it, sending video back to confirm what it is. ### Kill: Ram or detonate The original Anvil rams the target out of the sky; Anvil-M adds a fire-control module and warhead to stop faster, larger drones. ## Spec sheet | Spec | Anvil | Provenance | | --- | --- | --- | | Targets | Group 1-2 drones (small to mid-size) | reported | | Kill method | Ramming (Anvil) or warhead (Anvil-M) | reported | | Launch | Ground Launch Box, remote, 24/7 | reported | Provenance: reported = stated by the company; estimated = our estimate; sample = a sample figure. ## About Anduril Industries Anduril is a defense company building self-driving air, sea and land systems run by its Lattice software. Its Fury drone jet was picked for production by the US Air Force, and it builds aircraft at its Arsenal-1 factory in Ohio. - Fury first flew on 31 Oct 2025 and was picked for Air Force production in June 2026. - Started building Fury at Arsenal-1, Ohio, in 2026; the first Ohio-built Fury was done in July. - Raised $5B at a $61B valuation in May 2026, double its June 2025 valuation. - Founded: 2017 - Headquarters: US - Status: private - Valuation: $61B (private valuation, 2026-05) - Staff: ~7,000 - Raised: $9B - Last round: Series H $5B, May 2026 - Website: https://www.anduril.com - People: Palmer Luckey (Founder); Brian Schimpf (Co-founder and CEO); Trae Stephens (Co-founder and Executive Chairman) - Partners, customers, investors: U.S. Air Force (customer); General Atomics (partner); Archer Aviation (partner) Company page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/anduril.md ## Related programs More from Anduril Industries: - [YFQ-44A Fury](https://technooptimist.io/aviation/fury.md) (Deploy) - [Roadrunner](https://technooptimist.io/aviation/roadrunner.md) (Deploy) - [Arsenal-1](https://technooptimist.io/manufacturing/arsenal-1.md) (Deploy) - [Solid rocket motors (McHenry, Mississippi)](https://technooptimist.io/manufacturing/solid-rocket-motors.md) (Deploy) Everything in Aviation: https://technooptimist.io/aviation.md --- The Techno Optimist tracks every frontier of technology, program by program: https://technooptimist.io/ (a Markdown version of any page: add .md to its URL; site map for agents: https://technooptimist.io/llms.txt). 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