Anduril and Archer unveil Thunder autonomous tiltrotor at Farnborough

Today, at the Farnborough International Airshow, Anduril and Archer Aviation unveiled the jointly developed autonomous VTOL aircraft designed for both defence and commercial applications.

Thunder debuts alongside commercial Halo variant

AGN reported in August 2025 that Anduril and Archer had partnered to develop an autonomous tiltrotor for the US military. The announcement highlights how fast next-generation autonomous MALE aircraft are being developed.

Archer is set to announce its first commercial partners for the new dual-use VTOL aircraft later this week.

The defence variant, called Thunder, was showcased by Anduril and is designed to “multiply the combat power of current and next-generation crewed attack and assault aircraft.”

According to Anduril’s statement, the aircraft has already completed multiple test flights with a full-scale surrogate aircraft. Thunder’s first flight is planned for sometime in 2027.

“From raw performance to producibility, harnessing the best technologies from the commercial eVTOL market for defence is central to how Thunder will deliver operational value to our customers,” said Shane Arnott, SVP of Maneuver Dominance at Anduril. “The clean-sheet, dual-use platform that we’ve built with Archer truly represents a step change in capability.”

Thunder targets runway-independent military operations

Thunder is a Group 5 autonomous attack rotorcraft designed to offer the speed, range, payload, and operating cost that defence and commercial missions require. It is intended to be a step change in vertical lift and a new class of autonomous aircraft.

Images released show the aircraft as being a twin-engined tiltrotor with a V-tail configuration similar to the US Army’s upcoming Bell MV-75 Cheyenne II (formerly V-280 Valor) and less like Archer’s existing air taxis.

Archer notes that the tiltrotor configuration allows the aircraft to combine vertical takeoff and landing with an efficient wingborne cruise. Importantly for the US military, this allows it to be runway independent and operate in austere conditions while enjoying greater ranges than traditional helicopters.

The aircraft is hybrid-electric and enables the autonomous aircraft to achieve significant range and endurance, while “still maintaining the necessary precision to closely optimise power through the full range of flight conditions.”

Could Thunder become a loyal wingman for US Army helicopters?

Archer states that Thunder is configured to carry modular, heavy payloads to an array of defence applications, but it also calls it an “attack rotorcraft” that multiplies crewed assault aircraft.

This suggests its military roles will be in attack more than in logistics. Archer’s description may hint at it having a loyal wingman role for the US Army’s Apache helicopter.

The US’s current assault aircraft include the AH-64 Apache, UH-60 Black Hawk, and other helicopters. Its next-generation assault aircraft is the US Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), now called the MV-75 Cheyenne II.

This potentially makes it a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) or loyal wingman drone for military helicopters. It would also likely position it as a competitor to the new Boeing Collaborative Transformational Rotorcraft (CxR) being designed for that role.

Separately, one of the biggest requirements for the US Marines and other service branches is for runway-independent autonomous aircraft able to serve the “last mile” of logistical air supply, as forward airfields are anticipated to be vulnerable to enemy attack.

It’s worth noting that photos of the Thunder’s apparent commercial variant “Halo” show supplies being loaded into its storage compartment. It’s unclear if it will also have a logistical application for the US military.

Thunder is not the only partnership between Archer and Anduril. In November 2025, it was announced that Archer was supplying its Midnight eVTOL powertrain to Anduril and the UAE’s EDGE for the new Omen tail-sitting drone.

Archer Aviation is a leader in developing commercial eVTOL air taxis, while Anduril is a leading drone contractor developing everything from interceptor systems to counter-drone threats to high-end next-generation Collaborative Combat Aircraft as part of the US Air Force’s 6th-generation NGAD project.

Featured Image: Archer Aviation