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Anduril pitches Fury and Thunder drones to Poland as loyal wingmen for F-35 and Apache fleets
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At the MSPO defense show in Kielce, Poland, U.S. defense-tech company Anduril Industries is intensifying its focus on Poland by pitching two autonomous aircraft to complement the country's upcoming fleets of 32 F-35 fighter jets and 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. Brian Moran, Anduril's vice president for Europe, confirmed the company is offering the Fury collaborative combat aircraft, already selected by the U.S. Air Force, as a loyal wingman for the F-35, and the Thunder autonomous attack rotorcraft, unveiled in July 2026, for the Apache. This effort builds on Anduril's existing partnership with Polish state-owned defense giant PGZ for local assembly and production of the Barracuda-500M cruise missile. Poland's first F-35 arrived in May 2026, and Apache deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2028, making Poland the second-largest Apache operator globally after the United States. A successful deal would make Poland the first European user of these Anduril drones.
Source report
KIELCE, Poland — U.S. defense-technology company Anduril Industries has partnered with Poland's state-run defense giant PGZ for local assembly and production of the surface-launched Barracuda-500M cruise missile. Pending ongoing negotiations with the Polish Ministry of National Defence, the company is also pitching its Fury autonomous combat aircraft and the Thunder autonomous attack rotorcraft to Poland, in an effort that could make the nation their first European user.
Brian Moran, Anduril's vice president for Europe, told Defense News at the MSPO defense show here that, while advancing the Barracuda project in partnership with PGZ, the company is also offering two autonomous aircraft to accompany the country's envisioned fleets of Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jets and Boeing's AH-64E Apache attack helicopters.
"One of the flagship programs for Anduril has been collaborative combat aircraft, CCA, where our Fury has been chosen by the United States Air Force as a program of record," Moran said. "With Poland getting its F-35s, Fury is tailor-made to partner with an F-35 as a loyal wingman and as a force multiplier to keep men and women in uniform out of harm's way."
Anduril displayed a model of the Barracuda cruise missile, on which the company is partnered with PGZ, at the MSPO defense trade show in Kielce, Poland, on Sept. 9, 2026. (Jaroslaw Adamowski/staff)
In addition to 32 F-35 jets — the first of which arrived in Poland last May — Warsaw is also awaiting the delivery of 96 Apache helicopters. With the latter program in mind, Anduril is in talks with Polish officials over a potential sale of the Thunder drone, following its unveiling at July's Farnborough Airshow.
"In July, we launched Thunder which is an autonomous collaborative platform for the Apache attack helicopter," Moran said. "And just like Fury operating with an F-35, with Poland getting all these Apaches, having Thunder is a force multiplier, especially as Poland will have to train a lot of pilots for 96 Apaches."
Deliveries of the 96 helicopters with related gear and weapons are scheduled to begin in 2028. Once the copters are supplied to the country, Poland's military is expected to be the second-largest user of the Apaches in the world after the United States.
Last year, the Polish defense ministry signed a $300 million contract to lease eight AH-64D Apaches from the United States in anticipation of the planned deliveries.
About the Author
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
Source
Defense NewsWestern
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Anduril pitches Fury and Thunder autonomous drones to Poland as F-35 and Apache wingmen