Anduril Industries cannot begin production work on its FQ-44 Fury collaborative combat aircraft without congressional approval of the fiscal 2027 defense budget, company officials said.
While the Air Force awarded production contracts for its first round of Collaborative Combat Aircraft in June, Erin Simpson, Anduril’s vice president for strategy execution, noted that even a company with private investments reaches a threshold where procurement dollars are required. Although a continuing resolution currently keeps government funding at fiscal 2026 levels through December, Simpson raised the possibility that a future funding stopgap could include an anomaly to clear the path for production work early next year.
Anduril has utilized internal funding to build a new production facility, purchase long-lead items, and currently manufacture YFQ-44 prototypes at its Arsenal-1 facility outside Columbus, Ohio. Jason Levin, the company’s senior vice president of engineering, stated that the facility can produce up to 150 Fury aircraft annually, though current Air Force orders do not yet reach that limit.
The platform has continued developmental milestones with the Air Force’s Experimental Operations Unit. Following a successful live-fire test involving an AMRAAM missile in July, Anduril has independently funded the integration of additional munitions, including 500-pound guided bombs, small diameter bombs, and Barracuda 500 cruise missiles, alongside rocket pods and targeting systems, as reported by Breaking Defense.
Recent operational tests at Creech Air Force Base demonstrated a hot reload procedure where personnel swapped an AIM-120 missile with the engine running, reducing turnaround times between sorties from hours to minutes. Air Force operators have also launched and recovered the aircraft independently using mission autonomy software. Furthermore, Anduril has advanced hardware- and software-in-the-loop testing for quarterback integration, which allows personnel in manned fighter jets to control the drone via a tablet.
