Air Force, DIU Select Companies to Develop Prototypes for the Enterprise Test Vehicle Project

The Air Force Armament Directorate and the Defense Innovation Unit have selected Anduril Industries, Integrated Solutions for Systems, Leidos Dynetics and Zone 5 Technologies to build prototypes for the Enterprise Test Vehicle project.

The initiative focuses on developing a new type of drone that prioritizes affordability, efficient production and adaptability for testing advanced technologies, the DIU said.

The prototypes will incorporate commercial off-the-shelf components to reduce costs and avoid supply chain issues and will feature an open architecture, enabling future upgrades and rapid integration of subsystems.

Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, a past Potomac Officers Club event speaker and a past Wash100 awardee, highlighted the collaboration with DIU as an opportunity to develop affordable and efficient test capabilities.

Meanwhile, DIU Director Doug Beck emphasized the partnership’s role in accelerating innovation, scaling autonomous systems and enhancing counter-adversarial capabilities for the Department of Defense.

The other project collaborators include the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Special Operations Command, the Naval Air Systems Command and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

The selected companies will develop prototypes that will undergo flight testing by late summer or fall of 2024. The Air Force said the most promising prototypes will advance toward a production variant designed for rapid, scalable manufacturing.