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The United Kingdom has selected Anduril UK for the next stage of a major autonomous strike program aimed at developing uncrewed collaborative aircraft to operate alongside attack helicopters, including the British Army’s Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian.
The program, known as Project NYX, is designed to address a growing capability gap identified by the British Army and the UK Ministry of Defence, where modern battlefield conditions increasingly demand greater combat mass, distributed sensing, and survivability against advanced integrated air defence systems.
At its core, the UK’s Project NYX seeks to develop autonomous collaborative platforms that can operate alongside crewed Apache helicopters, extending their reach in reconnaissance, target acquisition and strike missions while reducing risk to pilots in contested environments, in a manner similar to programs like Australia’s MQ-28A Ghost Bat and the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
Rather than replacing crewed aviation, the system is intended to operate as a force multiplier under a “command rather than control” concept, allowing human operators to direct multiple autonomous systems across a wider battlespace while providing a degree of separation for crewed combat aircraft, keeping personnel safer.
The down-selection of Anduril UK reflects growing interest in rapidly developed, software-defined autonomous systems that can be iterated at pace. The company has drawn on its work in the United States, including development of semi-autonomous combat aircraft concepts, to demonstrate how collaborative autonomy can be delivered on compressed timelines compared with traditional defence procurement cycles.
According to the company, early prototype vehicles for the program have already undergone test flights in the United Kingdom, with flight envelopes being progressively expanded as part of an ongoing evaluation process.
Anduril’s announcement said: “Our platform will benefit from novel advancements in hybrid-electric propulsion and other related capabilities from the commercial VTOL market.
"Our capability will deliver the speed, range and effects required to provide commanders with options, from self-deploying over long distances to rapidly penetrating deep into contested environments. Similarly, those same advancements mean that Anduril’s platform will offer best-in-class payload capacity – far exceeding the program’s requirements and offering increased mission flexibility," the company added.
The system is being designed to integrate tightly with Apache formations, providing additional airborne “combat mass” that can conduct reconnaissance and strike tasks in high-threat environments.
The UK approach mirrors broader trends across allied militaries, including Australia, where the introduction of the AH-64E Apache into service is reshaping Army aviation capability and accelerating interest in uncrewed teaming systems.
For Australia, which is beginning to field its own fleet of AH-64E Apache helicopters, this program will provide an interesting avenue for future collaboration and partnership between the two AUKUS partner nations, with further potential opportunities across the global Apache fleet.
Like the UK, Australia is increasingly focused on the role of crewed–uncrewed teaming in high-end warfare, particularly in the Indo-Pacific where electronic warfare, long-range precision strike systems and integrated air defence networks are reshaping operational risk.
In this context, autonomous collaborative platforms are being viewed as a critical enabler for survivability and lethality, rather than an experimental technology.
Anduril UK said its system is being designed around a modular, open architecture that can integrate sovereign sensors and weapons systems as required, allowing continuous adaptation as threats evolve. The platform is also expected to incorporate hybrid-electric propulsion technologies to extend range and endurance, enabling deeper penetration into contested airspace alongside crewed helicopters.
"Critically, the aircraft we’re building is designed from the ground up to be inherently open, modular and interoperable, ensuring that it can be integrated with the latest, sovereign, first and third-party sensors and effectors to meet continuously evolving mission requirements for decades to come. It is designed to adapt faster than the threats it will face," the company added.
By using established collaborative mission autonomy software, the system would be capable of coordinating multiple uncrewed aircraft, managing swarms of launched effects, and supporting Apache crews with distributed sensing and strike capabilities. This, in turn, is intended to reduce the exposure of high-value crewed assets while increasing overall mission effectiveness.
The program also reflects a broader industrial strategy in the United Kingdom aimed at scaling sovereign defence production. Anduril UK has grown significantly since its establishment in 2019 and now operates a test and development facility in north Wales, alongside a growing network of British suppliers spanning advanced manufacturing, aerospace engineering and autonomous systems.
Anduril added: “We’ve already made progress on executing this mission. Over the last few years, Anduril has invested tens of millions of pounds of our own money to develop a new capability that we will deliver for NYX. That early investment is paying off: we have already completed test flights of our full-scale surrogate vehicle, consistently expanding the flight envelope each time.”
Partners across the program include established aerospace and technology firms, with the wider industrial ecosystem intended to support rapid prototyping and eventual production at scale, including Archer Aviation, GKN Aerospace, Atom Performance Technologies, Flarebright, ISS Aerospace, and Rowden Technologies.
While NYX is a UK-led initiative, its implications are broadly relevant across allied militaries, including Australia, where similar doctrinal shifts are underway as the Australian Defence Force integrates AH-64E Apache helicopters into a more networked, multi-domain force structure built around distributed lethality and autonomous systems integration.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
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