CRBC News
Culture
Society
Security
Health
Conflict
Science
Technology
Politics
Environment
Lifestyle
Economy

Anduril Drone Crashes During U.S. Air Force Tests Raise Questions About Reliability

Two Altius winged drones crashed during U.S. Air Force demonstrations at Eglin Air Force Base, one falling about 8,000 feet, according to a test summary. Anduril says these incidents are isolated amid hundreds of trials and frames failures as part of development. The crashes, and earlier problems with the Ghost small-drone program, raise questions about operational reliability even as Anduril expands sales to Ukraine and U.S. allies.

01:46 AM, 11/28/2025Security
Anduril Drone Crashes During U.S. Air Force Tests Raise Questions About Reliability

A recent U.S. Air Force demonstration at Eglin Air Force Base ended with two Altius winged drones produced by Anduril Industries crashing during separate test flights. One Altius plunged roughly 8,000 feet, according to an Air Force test summary, and a second later spiraled to earth during a separate trial.

What happened

The two Altius incidents occurred during demonstration flights this month. An Air Force Special Operations Command spokesperson confirmed the demonstration took place but declined to provide further detail. Shortly after the demonstration, the Pentagon announced a potential purchase of additional Altius aircraft valued at up to $50 million for testing, training and supportability.

Anduril's position

Anduril has framed the crashes as part of normal development. Spokesperson Shannon Prior described the incidents as 'isolated examples' amid hundreds of tests and said test failures are an expected part of iterating systems. Prior added that Altius has logged more than 2,000 hours across tests, demonstrations and deployments, without offering a flight-by-flight breakdown.

Performance in combat and exercises

The crashes add to earlier troubles reported with Anduril's smaller Ghost drone program. Early Ghost models reportedly struggled under electronic warfare and GPS-jamming conditions in Ukraine; the company says a revised Ghost X was delivered to the frontlines in December 2023 and that fixes were applied. A separate video verified from a U.S. Army exercise in Hohenfels, Germany, showed a Ghost model spinning out of control and crash-landing. Anduril attributed that event to a rotor issue that it says has been corrected.

Wider context

Anduril has emerged as a fast-growing defense technology company, selling drones and autonomous systems to the U.S., allied partners and Ukraine. The firm has supplied Altius variants to Ukraine and other partners and has been awarded contracts, including a UK-funded purchase announced in 2024. Still, battlefield observers and some former staff say Western-made drones so far have played a limited role in Ukraine compared with locally produced systems.

Implications

The incidents highlight a core challenge for defense suppliers: adapting fast-paced, software-driven platforms to combat conditions that include electronic warfare, contested GPS and harsh environments. Company leaders emphasize rapid iteration and deployment, while military users stress that testing new capabilities in the field inevitably surfaces faults that must be fixed.

By David Jeans, Cassell Bryan-Low and Supantha Mukherjee

Similar Articles

Trending