Anduril

Defense Tech · Aerospace · eVTOL

Partnership

Anduril, Archer unveil Thunder hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft

The design flies as a loyal wingman beside Apache attack helicopters, multiplying combat power at a fraction of a crewed aircraft's cost.

• Anduril and Archer Aviation unveiled Thunder, a jointly developed autonomous hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft, at the Farnborough Airshow on July 20, 2026, with separate defense and commercial variants.
• Archer Aviation, known for developing electric air taxis, has worked with defense tech firm Anduril since a 2024 deal to adapt its eVTOL engineering into a dual-use military and commercial aircraft.
• Thunder is a Group 5 autonomous attack rotorcraft built as a 'loyal wingman' for the Boeing AH-64 Apache and the Army's future Bell MV-75 Cheyenne II, able to carry up to 10 Hellfire missiles or 16 air-launched effects internally.
• The aircraft uses optimum-speed tiltrotors and a hybrid-electric powertrain to combine vertical takeoff with efficient wingborne cruise, giving it the range and reduced acoustic signature needed for low-altitude combat missions.
• Anduril envisions fielding three to six Thunders per crewed Apache as a force multiplier, with the uncrewed aircraft expected to cost only a small fraction of a manned attack helicopter.
• Archer plans to unveil the commercial cargo variant and name its first commercial customers later in the week, while Thunder's first flight is targeted for 2027.
• The deal reflects a broader pivot among aerospace startups toward dual-use commercial-defense platforms as eVTOL air-taxi economics stall and militaries push for cheaper autonomous 'loyal wingman' aircraft.