Anduril ALTIUS
ALTIUS (Agile Launched, Tactically-Integrated Unmanned System) is a family of UAVs and loitering munitions, which has been developed by Area-I since before 2020. In 2021, Area-I was purchased by Anduril. The original ALTIUS family consisted of, in increasing size, the ALTIUS-500, ALTIUS-600 and ALTIUS-900, but of these only the -600 is currently actively marketed by Anduril.
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| Photo: Jose Mejia-Betancourth/CCDC AvMC Technology Development Directorate |
| ALTIUS-600 |
ALTIUS drones are stored in and launched from a tube, and the flying surfaces, straight wings and an inverted-V tail, flip out immediately after leaving the tube. It can be used from manned or unmanned aircraft, as well as ground or sea vehicles. Aerial platfroms, from which ALTIUS-600 has been successfully launched, include the AC-130, UH-60, XQ-58A Valkyrie and MQ-1C Gray Eagle. The drone can be recovered by a belly landing on flat terrain. ALTIUS-600 can be fitted with a variety of exchangeable mission payloads, with a weight of up to 3.2 kg (7 lb). It also features a high level of autonomy, and has some "swarming" capability, so that a single operator can control multiple drones with a single control station. In 2021, Anduril revealed the ALTIUS-700, a larger derivative of the -600 with longer range/endurance and increased payload capacity.
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| Photo: Anduril |
| ALTIUS-700 |
In 2022, Anduril announced the ALTIUS-600M and ALTIUS-700M, purpose-built loitering munition variants of the -600 and -700, which are not meant to be reusable, and whose primary payload is a high-explosive warhead. The -700M has an endurance of 75 minutes, a range of up to 160 km (100 miles), and a 15 kg (33 lb) anti-armor warhead, suitable for tanks and other heavily armored targets.
In July 2022, the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) placed an order for ALTIUS drones and associated systems. Neither the number nor the exact type of ALTIUS drones was mentioned in the announcement of the order.
Specifications
Note: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate!
Data for ALTIUS-600:
| Length | 1 m (3.3 ft) |
| Wingspan | 2.54 m (8 ft 4 in) |
| Weight | 12.2 kg (27 lb) |
| Speed | Max: 90 km/h (56 mph); cruise: 60 km/h (37 mph) |
| Ceiling | ? |
| Range | 440 km (270 miles) |
| Endurance | 4 h |
| Propulsion | ? |
Main Sources:
[1] Anduril Industries: ALTIUS
[2] Anduril Industries:
Area-I, an Anduril Company, Unveils the ALTIUS 700
[3] Wikipedia: Anduril Industries
[4] Airforce Technology:
ALTIUS-600 Small Unmanned Aircraft System
[5] The War Zone: Various articles on Altius
Back to Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 4
Last Updated: 9 August 2024