The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has awarded Area-I, an Anduril company, a contract worth up to $30.5 million for the delivery of the Agile-Launch Tactically-Integrated Unmanned System (ALTIUS).
The price tag will include mission system payloads, training, logistics support, engineering services, test and test support services, and other sustainment and development services.
According to a Pentagon contract announcement, most of the work will be performed in Marietta, Georgia, and is expected to be completed by July 2027.
Different variants of the ALTIUS air-launched drone have been evaluated by US armed forces in the past, including trials with US Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.
In August 2020, Area-I was one of three companies awarded US Army contracts for development of air-launched effects for the service’s Future Vertical Lift program.
Anduril, which acquired Area-I in early 2021, is offering several different variants of the ALTIUS, with payloads ranging from 15 pounds for the smallest ALTIUS 500 to 90 pounds with the ALTIUS 900, which offers a range of over 600 miles and an endurance of over 15 hours, according to the manufacturer.
USSOCOM did not specify which model of the ALTIUS it is procuring.
