While optical camouflage to trick the human eye is a solved technology, it's irrelevant on the modern battlefield. Adversaries rely on a wide spectrum of sensors like infrared, thermal, and radar, which can easily detect optically-cloaked objects, making the technology strategically impractical for Anduril's customers.
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Claims by AI companies that their tech won't be used for direct harm are unenforceable in military contracts. Militaries and nation-states do not follow commercial terms of service; the procurement process gives the government complete control over how technology is ultimately deployed.
The conflict in Ukraine exposed the vulnerability of expensive, "exquisite" military platforms (like tanks) to inexpensive technologies (like drones). This has shifted defense priorities toward cheap, mass-producible, "attritable" systems. This fundamental change in product and economics creates a massive opportunity for startups to innovate outside the traditional defense prime model.
In defense technology, smaller is often better. The ideal platform is the most compact one that can still perform its intended mission. This approach provides significant advantages in stealth, manufacturing cost, logistical footprint, and speed of proliferation.
Tech companies often use government and military contracts as a proving ground to refine complex technologies. This gives military personnel early access to tools, like Palantir a decade ago, long before they become mainstream in the corporate world.
Waive treats the sensor debate as a distraction. Their goal is to build an AI flexible enough to work with any configuration—camera-only, camera-radar, or multi-sensor. This pragmatism allows them to adapt their software to different OEM partners and vehicle price points without being locked into a single hardware ideology.
Countering the common narrative, Anduril views AI in defense as the next step in Just War Theory. The goal is to enhance accuracy, reduce collateral damage, and take soldiers out of harm's way. This continues a historical military trend away from indiscriminate lethality towards surgical precision.
For centuries, military uniforms were brightly colored for identification on smoke-filled battlefields. The invention of smokeless powder and more accurate, faster-reloading rifles in the late 19th century made soldiers highly visible targets, necessitating the switch to drab, low-visibility colors like olive and khaki.
Unlike mass manufacturers, defense tech requires flexibility for a high mix of low-volume products. Anduril addresses this by creating a core platform of reusable software, hardware, and sensor components, enabling fast development and deployment of new systems without starting from scratch.
Classical robots required expensive, rigid, and precise hardware because they were blind. Modern AI perception acts as 'eyes', allowing robots to correct for inaccuracies in real-time. This enables the use of cheaper, compliant, and inherently safer mechanical components, fundamentally changing hardware design philosophy.
The war in Ukraine has evolved from a traditional territorial conflict into a "robot war," with drones dominating the front lines. This real-world battlefield is accelerating innovation at an "unbelievable" pace, driving new solutions for secure communications and autonomous targeting, providing critical lessons for US drone strategy.
