ALTIUS-600M
Tube-launched loitering munition with multi-platform compatibility — ground, helicopter, fixed-wing, and large-UAV launch.
Missile / loitering munitionby Anduril IndustriesIntroduced 2018 · Updated 2025
ALTIUS — “Agile Launched, Tactically-Integrated Unmanned System” — is a family of tube-launched loitering munitions originally developed by Area-I (an Atlanta-based subsidiary acquired by Anduril in April 2021). The 600-class is the reconnaissance / strike core of the family; the 600M loitering-munition variant offers approximately 450 km of range and four hours of endurance. The heavier 700M variant — the one shipped to Ukraine via the UK MoD’s March 2025 contract — is rated for 160 km of range, 75 minutes of loiter, and payloads up to 15 kg.
The platform’s distinguishing feature is launch flexibility. The same airframe deploys from ground vehicles, Black Hawk helicopters, C-130 transport aircraft, and as an Air-Launched Effects payload from larger UAVs including the MQ-1C Grey Eagle and the XQ-58 Valkyrie. Recovery uses the FLARES (Flying Air Recovery System) net.
Combat experience
ALTIUS originated at Area-I in Atlanta and joined the Anduril portfolio through Anduril’s April 2021 acquisition of the company. The 600 series anchors a family that ranges from the ALTIUS-600 reconnaissance drone to the ALTIUS-600M loitering-munition variant and the heavier ALTIUS-700 / 700M.
Operationally the platform has been demonstrated as a component of the US Army’s Air-Launched Effects programme — air-launched in swarms from rotary- and fixed-wing platforms, networking together in a mesh, and persisting on station for hours. NOAA has launched the 600 variant into Hurricane Ian to record winds up to 348 km/h. Combat use in Ukraine began with the UK Ministry of Defence’s £30 million contract through Anduril UK in March 2025, funded via the International Fund for Ukraine. Specific ALTIUS strike outcomes in Ukraine have not been publicly itemised; reporting frames the donation as a Switchblade-class deep-strike capability with longer range and heavier payload.
Effectiveness
Independent effectiveness assessment is limited — most of the platform’s combat record is in the US Army programme-of-record context rather than published wartime statistics. Anduril and the UK MoD frame it as a precision deep-strike option, with the 700M variant reaching 160 km on a 75-minute loiter at 15 kg payload (per Anduril ’s official ALTIUS product page).
The system’s most distinctive feature relative to single-platform competitors like AeroVironment’s Switchblade is launch-mode flexibility: the same airframe ships from a tube on a vehicle, from a Black Hawk, or as an ALE payload on the wings of an MQ-1C Grey Eagle or XQ-58 Valkyrie. This multi-launch property is what made the 2021 Area-I acquisition strategic for Anduril ’s broader Lattice-and-Roadrunner stack.
Gallery
Media
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anduril_Altius (2026-05-02) — Encyclopedic entry — confirms Area-I as the developer, the April 2021 Anduril acquisition, the 280-mile / 4-hour loitering-munition specs, the C-130 / UH-60 / ground-vehicle / MQ-1C / XQ-58 launch options, the FLARES recovery system, and the US Army / USAF / Republic of China Army / Ukraine operator list.
- www.anduril.com/altius (2026-05-02) — Official ALTIUS product page — source of the 700M's 160 km / 75-min / 15 kg figures.
- www.gov.uk/government/news/advanced-attack-drones-for-ukraine-in-new-deal-struck-by-uk-government-and-anduril-uk (2026-05-02) — UK Government press release on the £30M Anduril UK contract supplying ALTIUS to Ukraine through the International Fund for Ukraine.