Hermeus announced that Anduril's Lattice mission autonomy suite will power the Quarterhorse Mk 2 drone, with autonomous flight testing beginning in 2027. The Quarterhorse, funded by the Defense Innovation Unit, has flown manually to date but now requires automation for scalable multi-platform operations at speeds up to Mach 3.
Anduril will deliver an end-to-end autonomy stack — from flight control software to ground control stations. This expands Lattice beyond slower-moving platforms like those in the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, validating the system's performance envelope on a large, high-speed airframe.
For Hermeus, the partnership solves a critical path problem: scaling from one-off test flights to operationally deployable systems that a single operator can manage. For Anduril, Quarterhorse represents a new mission profile that broadens Lattice's addressable market and diversifies its operational experience base.
Both executives confirmed funding is changing hands but declined to specify amounts. Hermeus CEO Zach Shore noted "tremendous alignment and backing" from government stakeholders, suggesting the partnership dovetails with Pentagon autonomy reference architectures. The companies framed the relationship as open-ended, though government customers retain the option to swap autonomy vendors if Quarterhorse enters production.
The deal positions both firms for future teaming on autonomous high-speed strike platforms, assuming Quarterhorse transitions from DIU experimentation to program of record.
