- Army Contracting Command awarded Anduril Industries $16,788,000 on April 1, 2025, for Ghost-X drone hardware and components.
- The contract includes Trillium HD45LP imaging payloads with an estimated completion date of May 1, 2026.
The U.S. Army has awarded Anduril Industries a $16.8 million contract for hardware and components supporting its Ghost-X small drone systems, the Pentagon announced April 7, 2026.
The contract was awarded to Anduril Industries Inc. of Costa Mesa, California, by Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. The total value of the action is $16,788,000. The solicitation was conducted via the internet and drew a single bid. Specific work locations and funding will be determined with each individual order placed under the contract, with an estimated completion date of May 1, 2026. The contract was formally awarded April 1, 2025.
The procurement covers hardware and related components for Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems — the military’s designation for tactical drones small enough to be carried and operated by ground units — built around Anduril’s Ghost-X platform, a rotary-wing, helicopter-type vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aircraft. The contract was executed in accordance with Department of War directives.
The inclusion of the Trillium HD45LP is a defining technical feature of this procurement. Trillium’s HD45LP is a stabilized, multi-sensor electro-optical and infrared turret designed for small unmanned platforms, capable of delivering high-definition day and thermal imaging in a compact form factor. On a rotary-wing drone like the Ghost-X, a stabilized imaging payload of that class enables real-time target identification, tracking, and surveillance at operationally relevant ranges — functions that previously required much larger, more expensive manned aircraft. The combination of a vertical takeoff and landing airframe with a stabilized high-definition sensor gives dismounted soldiers a persistent overhead capability that can locate, identify, and track threats without exposing personnel.
The Ghost-X’s rotary-wing, VTOL design offers distinct operational advantages for ground units. Unlike fixed-wing drones that require a runway or launch rail, a helicopter-type unmanned aircraft can take off and land vertically from confined spaces — a road, a clearing, a rooftop — making it immediately usable in urban terrain, dense vegetation, or forward positions where prepared surfaces are unavailable. That flexibility allows small infantry units to launch, recover, and re-task the system rapidly without specialized ground support equipment, fitting naturally into the operational tempo of dismounted maneuver forces.
Anduril Industries, founded in 2017, has emerged as one of the Pentagon’s most active non-traditional defense contractors, securing awards across autonomous systems, counter-drone technology, and software-defined command and control.