Anduril and EDGE unveil a hybrid drone that combines vertical takeoff and long-range cruise flight
Summary
Omen represents a technological breakthrough in the tactical drone category. Jointly developed by US-based Anduril and the UAE’s EDGE Group since 2019, this autonomous tail-sitter aerial vehicle is three meters high and incorporates a hybrid-electric propulsion system supplied by Archer Aviation. Its payload capacity is three to five times that of traditional Group 3 systems, with a flight range three to four times greater than current standards. The drone uses Anduril’s Lattice software, an artificial intelligence platform that enables the autonomous coordination of swarms of aircraft without direct human intervention. Anduril has invested $850 million in the development of this technology, while EDGE is contributing an additional $200 million. Mass production is scheduled to begin in 2028 at two facilities, one in the United Arab Emirates and the other at Anduril’s Arsenal-1 factory in Ohio.
Tail-sitter architecture solves the expeditionary deployment dilemma
Omen adopts a tail-sitter configuration that allows it to take off and land vertically in an upright position on its tail, then tilt into horizontal flight for the cruise phase. This hybrid architecture solves a fundamental equation in modern military aviation. Fixed-wing drones offer endurance and speed but require runways. Vertical takeoff aircraft provide deployment flexibility but sacrifice range.
The system measures approximately three meters in height when stowed and can be folded to less than half its deployed volume. This compactness allows it to be transported in standard tactical vehicles and deployed from naval platforms, beaches, or degraded areas. A two-person team can unpack, assemble, and launch the aircraft in a matter of minutes, eliminating the dependence on heavy infrastructure that characterizes conventional air operations.
The design incorporates glider-style wings, canard planes, and twin-boom nacelles feeding a high horizontal tailplane. This configuration optimizes cruise efficiency while preserving vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. The wing surfaces generate significant lift at high speeds, enabling long-range missions with controlled energy consumption.
The modular architecture allows for rapid payload replacement. Operators can switch between infrared electro-optical pods, synthetic aperture radars, electromagnetic intelligence systems, or logistics pods depending on tactical requirements. This versatility transforms a single aircraft type into a multi-mission platform adaptable to circumstances.
Hybrid-electric propulsion system breaks conventional limits
Development of Omen began in 2019 but encountered a major obstacle in terms of available propulsion technologies. Pure electric motors lacked the range for long-distance missions. Traditional thermal systems compromised hovering and vertical flight efficiency. Anduril found the solution by collaborating with Archer Aviation, a California-based specialist in electric propulsion systems for vertical takeoff aircraft.
The hybrid-electric system uses the powertrain technology developed by Archer for its Midnight air taxi. Electric motors power the rotors for vertical takeoff, landing, and translational flight. An internal combustion engine, likely a compact gas turbine, functions exclusively as a generator to continuously recharge the onboard batteries during flight.
This series-hybrid configuration offers several decisive advantages. Electric motors provide precise control and instantaneous response, which are essential for hovering and transition phases. The thermal generator ensures sustained energy production, eliminating the range limitations of batteries alone.
The overall system thus achieves performance levels that would be impossible with a single propulsion system.
Shane Arnott, Anduril’s senior vice president for Maneuver Dominance, said Omen’s payload capacity is three to five times that of current Group 3 systems, which are typically limited to between 11 and 23 kilograms. This massive increase in payload allows for the simultaneous carriage of multiple sensors or heavy loads such as advanced radars, powerful communication systems, or substantial logistical equipment.
Operational autonomy exceeds Group 3 standards
Group 3 drones, according to the U.S. Department of Defense classification, weigh between 25 and 600 kilograms, operate below 5,500 meters altitude, and fly at speeds below 250 knots (463 km/h). They are the intermediate class between small tactical drones and large endurance aircraft such as the Predator or Reaper.
Arnott said Omen can fly three to four times farther than typical Group 3 designs currently on the market. Conventional systems in this category have ranges of 200 to 400 kilometers. Omen could therefore achieve operational ranges of 800 to 1,600 kilometers, penetrating deep into the range of higher-category drones.
Anduril representatives mentioned “ranges relevant to the Indo-Pacific,” an explicit reference to the vast maritime distances of this strategic theater of operations. This capability directly addresses the needs of U.S. and allied forces facing access and area denial challenges in the region. A drone capable of deploying from dispersed bases and operating over long distances without refueling fundamentally changes tactical calculations.
Flight endurance is an equally crucial parameter. Standard Group 3 drones fly between 6 and 15 hours. Omen’s architecture, optimized for cruise efficiency thanks to its elongated wings and hybrid propulsion system, aims for significantly longer mission durations. Endurance times of 20 to 30 hours are becoming feasible, transforming the drone into a persistent surveillance platform or long-duration communications relay.
Lattice for Mission Autonomy orchestrates multi-device coordination
Anduril’s Lattice for Mission Autonomy software is a hardware-agnostic software platform that enables teams of diverse robotic assets to work together under human supervision to dynamically accomplish complex missions in any domain. This software layer transforms Omen from a simple remote-controlled drone into an intelligent node in a distributed autonomous network.
Lattice processes vast amounts of sensor data from drones, ground sensors, and satellite feeds in real time to create a comprehensive three-dimensional battle map. Its artificial intelligence algorithms detect, classify, and track threats with unprecedented accuracy and speed. The platform can make autonomous decisions, directing dependent systems to investigate areas of interest or respond to threats without direct human intervention.
During the US Army’s EDGE23 exercise at Yuma Proving Ground, a single soldier used Lattice for Mission Autonomy to simultaneously control multiple unmanned aircraft with different sensor payloads and mission systems provided by different industry partners.
The demonstration enabled the location, identification, and destruction of a surface-to-air missile site in support of assault helicopter operations. The software autonomously managed flight, threat identification, signature management, multi-asset maneuvers, and effects synchronization.
For Omen, this capability means that a single operator can command a fleet of drones performing coordinated missions. Multiple Omen drones can automatically share their flight paths and sensor data and adapt their behavior in real time. This swarm coordination multiplies operational effectiveness while drastically reducing the need for skilled personnel.
In November 2025, the US Army selected Lattice as the fire control platform for its IBCS-M program to combat unmanned aerial systems. This adoption by the US Army validates the technological maturity of the system and paves the way for its integration into critical defense architectures.
EDGE-Anduril alliance creates production hub in the Middle East
EDGE and Anduril are establishing the EDGE-Anduril Production Alliance in the United Arab Emirates, a joint production, sales, and support vehicle for next-generation autonomous systems. This joint venture represents Anduril’s first true international joint venture outside the United States. The company has subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Australia, but they remain wholly owned by the parent company.
EDGE has invested $200 million in the project and will contribute to local production, sales, and support for regional customers. Anduril is building a 50,000-square-foot (approximately 4,650-square-meter) research, development, and virtual simulation center in the United Arab Emirates to support future programs. This permanent facility establishes a lasting presence for Anduril in the Middle East.
The United Arab Emirates has confirmed an initial acquisition of 50 Omen systems, creating a guaranteed demand signal that anchors the new facility, expands local supply chains, and accelerates the country’s path to domestic mass production of autonomous aerial vehicles. This substantial initial order distinguishes Omen from the many prototypes that never progress beyond the technology demonstration stage.
Production for U.S. customers will take place at the Arsenal-1 facility that Anduril is building in Columbus, Ohio. The company announced in January 2025 an investment of nearly $1 billion in this hyperscale facility, which will create more than 4,000 direct jobs. Manufacturing operations will begin in mid-2026, producing various categories of unmanned aerial and underwater systems on an unprecedented scale.
Shane Arnott said that no purchases have yet been made by Washington, but executives expect full-scale production of Omen drones by 2028. The open, modular architecture makes it easy to adapt to the specific requirements of different government and commercial customers.
Dual missions cover defense and civil emergencies
Anduril and EDGE are deliberately positioning Omen as a dual-use system, deployable in both military and civilian contexts. This versatility broadens the potential market and justifies investment in a single architecture that meets multiple needs.
Military missions include maritime domain surveillance, which is particularly critical in extended exclusive economic zones and contested maritime spaces.
Omen’s range allows it to cover vast ocean areas from coastal bases or ships. Its electro-optical and radar sensors detect ships, identify suspicious behavior, and transmit data in real time to command centers.
Logistical support in contested environments is a major capability. In theaters where traditional air corridors are threatened by anti-aircraft defenses, Omen can deliver critical supplies to forward positions. Its payload capacity, three to five times greater than that of standard Group 3 drones, allows it to transport significant quantities of ammunition, spare parts, medical equipment, or food.
Communication relay missions leverage Omen’s altitude and endurance to maintain links between dispersed units in environments where ground communications are degraded or non-existent. The drone becomes a mobile node in a tactical communications network, filling coverage gaps and ensuring command coherence.
In the civilian sphere, Omen can serve as a temporary cell tower after natural disasters destroy telecommunications infrastructure. Its rapid deployment without infrastructure allows emergency communications to be restored while permanent networks are repaired. Rescue teams immediately regain the ability to coordinate their efforts.
Search and rescue operations benefit from extended autonomy and advanced sensors. Omen can methodically scan large mountainous, forested, or maritime areas in search of missing persons. Its infrared capabilities detect human heat signatures even in darkness or under vegetation cover.
The geopolitical context is accelerating demand for tactical autonomy
The emergence of Omen is part of a broader transformation of military capabilities in response to contemporary strategic challenges. Recent conflicts, notably in Ukraine, have demonstrated the critical importance of unmanned aerial systems at all tactical and operational levels. Drones have become indispensable for surveillance, target designation, electronic warfare, and direct strikes.
Strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific is a particular driver for the development of systems such as Omen. Vast maritime distances, scattered archipelagos, and areas of access denial impose specific requirements. Forces must operate from potentially vulnerable forward bases, requiring rapidly deployable capabilities that do not depend on conventional runways.
The concept of distributed combat is gradually replacing traditional centralized approaches. Dispersed units coordinate their actions via digital networks while maintaining their agility and resilience in the face of enemy strikes. Omen fits naturally into this doctrine, providing decentralized commanders with organic air capabilities without relying on limited and vulnerable centralized assets.
The proliferation of advanced air defense systems complicates operations for traditional manned platforms. Potential adversaries deploy long-range surface-to-air missiles and sophisticated radars, creating highly contested environments. Cost-effective, expendable drones like Omen enable missions in these dangerous areas without risking human crews and expensive aircraft.
Tactical autonomy also addresses budget and personnel constraints affecting Western armed forces. Training and maintaining qualified pilots is very expensive and takes years. Autonomous systems like Omen, controllable by operators with reduced training thanks to Lattice, multiply capabilities without a proportional increase in personnel.
Technical and operational challenges of large-scale deployment
Despite its promise, Omen will have to overcome several obstacles before reaching full operational maturity. Degraded electromagnetic environments pose a major challenge. Modern adversaries deploy GPS jamming, electronic warfare, and cyberattack systems on a massive scale. Omen must maintain its navigation, communication, and coordination capabilities even when its primary links are disrupted.
The system likely incorporates solutions such as advanced inertial navigation, optical vision positioning, and directional laser communications that are difficult to intercept or jam. Redundancy of critical systems ensures continuity of operations in degraded mode. Lattice must also gracefully handle link losses, allowing drones to continue their missions autonomously based on the last instructions received.
Integration with existing systems is another major challenge. The armed forces operate dozens of different types of drones, radars, command systems, and communication networks. Omen must interface effectively with this heterogeneous ecosystem. Lattice’s open architecture facilitates this integration, but each new platform requires validation, certification, and user training.
Support logistics for large-scale deployment involve establishing robust supply chains for spare parts, batteries, fuel, and maintenance equipment. Expeditionary operations in austere environments test the reliability of complex systems. Anduril must demonstrate that Omen maintains operational availability in harsh conditions with minimal support.
Regulatory and export considerations also influence international deployment. Advanced autonomy and artificial intelligence technologies are subject to strict export controls. Transfers to third countries require U.S. and UAE government approvals. The joint venture will need to navigate this complex legal framework to maximize its commercial potential.
Competition intensifies in the tactical VTOL drone segment
Omen is not alone in this emerging market. Shield AI’s V-BAT, a combat-proven tail-sitter system in Ukraine, offers comparable capabilities. Developed over more than a decade, the V-BAT has demonstrated its operational reliability in high-intensity real-world conditions. Its proven architecture and deployment history are significant competitive advantages.
Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin recently unveiled the Nomad family of twin-rotor tail-sitter drones, the smallest of which also falls into the Group 3 category. This entry by an aerospace giant validates the architectural concept and intensifies competition. Lockheed Martin brings decades of experience in military systems development and established relationships with government customers.
Other architectures such as tiltrotors and quadplanes offer alternative approaches to the VTOL-endurance dilemma. Tiltrotors tilt their rotors between a vertical position for takeoff and a horizontal position for forward flight.
Quadplanes combine multiple rotors for hovering and propeller propulsion with wings for cruise flight. Each approach has specific trade-offs in terms of mechanical complexity, energy efficiency, and payload.
The Chinese market is also actively developing similar systems. Companies such as DJI and other players specializing in the military sector are producing long-endurance VTOL drones. These lower-cost alternatives appeal to price-sensitive customers, although U.S. export restrictions limit their distribution to Western allies.
Omen’s differentiation will likely be based on Lattice software integration, industrial collaboration with established partners such as Archer and EDGE, and the ability to quickly deliver mature systems in volume. Shane Arnott emphasized that Omen is not just another prototype, as the vast majority of the industry in this particular category has done, with a confirmed order for 50 systems.
Arsenal-1 heralds a defense industry revolution
The Arsenal-1 factory that Anduril is building in Columbus represents an investment of nearly $1 billion and will create more than 4,000 direct jobs, making it the largest single job creation project in Ohio’s history. This hyperscale facility aims to radically transform the production of military equipment.
The traditional defense industry model relies on long development cycles (10 to 15 years), small production runs, and high unit costs. An F-35 fighter jet costs around $80 million, while an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer exceeds $2 billion. These exquisite platforms offer exceptional capabilities, but their limited numbers concentrate operational and strategic risks.
Anduril offers an alternative approach inspired by the civilian technology industry. Arsenal-1 will apply extensive automation, additive manufacturing techniques, and agile software development processes to military production. The goal is to drastically reduce development times and unit costs while increasing volumes.
This philosophy aligns with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Replicator initiative, which aims to deploy thousands of cost-effective autonomous systems within two years. Rather than a few sophisticated platforms, U.S. forces would seek to overwhelm adversaries with large swarms of systems that are less expensive individually but formidable collectively.
Initial production will begin in mid-2026 with various categories of aerial and underwater drones. Omen will gradually join the production lines alongside other Anduril systems such as Altius loitering munitions, the Fury aerial combat drone, and the Ghost Shark underwater drone. This product diversification will pool investments in infrastructure and expertise.
The modular approach and open architecture maximize the reuse of components between different platforms. Propulsion, avionics, communications, and software systems share common foundations, reducing development and maintenance costs. This standardization also facilitates future upgrades, with each improvement potentially benefiting multiple types of systems simultaneously.
Strategic implications extend beyond technical capabilities
Omen illustrates several major trends that are restructuring the global military balance. The democratization of advanced capabilities allows medium-sized powers to access technologies that were once reserved for large nations. Through their partnership with Anduril, the United Arab Emirates are assuming a position of regional leadership in autonomous systems rather than simply purchasing equipment developed elsewhere.
This dynamic is changing supplier-customer relationships in the defense industry. Purchasing countries now demand technology transfers, local co-production, and extensive customization. Joint ventures such as EDGE-Anduril are becoming the model for meeting these demands while protecting sensitive technologies and opening up new markets.
Tactical autonomy is gradually distributing decision-making capabilities to the operational level. Field commanders have organic air assets at their disposal without depending on the centralized allocation of limited resources. This decentralization increases tactical agility but poses new challenges in terms of coordination and doctrine of use.
Ethical and legal issues surrounding armed autonomous systems remain unresolved. Omen is presented as an ISR and logistics platform, but its modular architecture would theoretically allow for the integration of weapons. The acceptable level of autonomy in engagement decisions is the subject of intense debate. Current guidelines maintain a human in the decision-making loop for the use of lethal force.
The proliferation of these technologies is also a cause for concern. If systems such as Omen become widely available, hostile actors or non-state groups could acquire them. Export controls attempt to limit these risks, but history shows that military technologies generally end up spreading. The international community must develop regulatory frameworks adapted to this reality.
Omen’s announcement comes as China, Turkey, Iran, and other nations aggressively develop their own advanced drone capabilities. The technology race is accelerating, with each advance spurring adversarial responses. Maintaining a competitive edge requires continuous innovation and the ability to rapidly deploy new systems before they are circumvented.
The trajectory charted by Anduril and EDGE with Omen suggests a future where swarms of autonomous drones, coordinated by artificial intelligence, form the backbone of tactical air power. Traditional manned platforms will persist for missions requiring complex human judgment and strategic force projection, but day-to-day operations will increasingly be entrusted to unmanned systems that can be deployed en masse. This silent revolution is already redrawing the battlefield and will force the world’s militaries to fundamentally rethink their structures, doctrines, and investments for the coming decade.
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