Farnborough 2026: Anduril unveils Thunder autonomous attack rotorcraft

Anduril Industries' Thunder autonomous attack rotorcraft UAV, unveiled at the Farnborough Airshow 2026. (Janes/Tom Barton)

Anduril Industries unveiled Thunder, its Group 5 autonomous attack rotorcraft unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, held from 20-24 July.

Anduril said in a company statement that Thunder is the defence-specific variant of a dual-use UAV, developed in partnership with San Jose, California-based Archer Aviation.

The company said the aircraft is purpose-built for long-range operations, with a hybrid-electric powertrain and tiltrotor configuration that enables it to fly over long distances and perform vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) manoeuvres while being runway-independent.

In addition to its powertrain, Thunder uses its optimum-speed tiltrotors (OSTR) to vary rotor RPM and keep the aircraft energy-efficient, according to the company.

Rich Scott, general manager of Anduril UK, told Janes at a media briefing on 14 July that Thunder takes off and lands in a similar fashion to the manned Bell MV-75 Cheyenne.

The aircraft has the range to make it capable of self-deployment on a global scale, but can also be packed into a standard shipping container, according to Anduril.

Its mission sets include “a missile carrier, air-launched effects mothership, maritime patrol aircraft, or contested logistics platform”, the company said.

Anduril said Thunder has modular internal main and nose payload bays capable of carrying “precision munitions, air-launched effects, rockets, electronic warfare payloads, counter-UAS force protection, and cargo, and is provisioned for rapid integration of future mission systems”.

Powered by Anduril's Lattice autonomy software, Thunder can “maneuver with the formation, share data in real time, coordinate effects, and act on pilot intent” autonomously and at machine speed, according to the company.