Anduril Wins $642M Marine Corps Counter-Drone Contract for Base Protection Worldwide

Timeline Eventconfirmed
autonomous-weaponsdefense-contractorsmilitary-industrial-complexai-weaponssilicon-valley-defensecounter-drone
Military-Industrial ComplexDigital & Tech Capture
Actors:Anduril Industries, U.S. Marine Corps, Palmer Luckey, U.S. Department of the Navy
2025-03-12 · 1 min read

Anduril Industries wins a potential 10-year, $642.2 million contract from the U.S. Marine Corps for Installation-Counter small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (I-C-sUAS), beating nine other competing proposals. The contract covers detection, tracking, countering, and defense of Marine Corps facilities, personnel, and assets from small drone threats worldwide.

Contract Structure

The contract includes a base period and nine optional ordering periods, with a maximum value of $642,210,000 expected to run through March 2035. Work will be performed primarily in Costa Mesa, California (80%), with additional activities in Washington, D.C. (10%) and various Marine Corps installations (10%). The solicitation, released in February 2024, specified non-kinetic countermeasures including electromagnetic, acoustic, or other signature disruptions to neutralize small UAS threats.

Significance

The competitive win — 10 proposals received — demonstrates Anduril's growing ability to displace traditional defense primes in major military contracts. Counter-drone technology has become one of the most urgent capability gaps for U.S. forces, driven by lessons from Ukraine where cheap commercial drones have devastated conventional military assets. The contract further entrenches Anduril as a primary provider of AI-driven autonomous defense systems across the U.S. military, expanding its footprint from border surveillance towers and battlefield drones into permanent base defense infrastructure.

Sources

  1. Marines hire Anduril for counter-drone services worth up to $642MDefense One(2025-03-12)
  2. Marines to lean on Anduril tech to protect bases from dronesDefenseScoop(2025-03-13)
  3. Anduril wins $642M Marines counter-drone tech contractWashington Technology(2025-03-12)
  4. Anduril Scores $642M Deal to Provide Counter-Drone Systems for US MarinesThe Defense Post(2025-03-12)