Anduril Launched Effects Inform, Expand US Army Apache Capabilities

April 06, 2026

Last month, an AH-64E Apache attack helicopter employed a launched effect for the first time, executing a rocket-powered launch of Altius 700 at Yuma Proving Ground during Concept Focused Warfighting Experiment 26 (CFWE26). By combining the Apache’s versatility and mobile strike maneuverability with Altius-700's category-leading range, the integration demonstrated how launched effects can enhance U.S. Army aviators' situational awareness and strike capabilities in combat environments.

During the event, Apache aviators from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center (DEVCOM AvMC) Technology Development Directorate executed an airborne, rocket-powered launch of Altius-700, demonstrating how launched effects can expand the reach, lethality, and sensing capabilities of Army attack helicopters.

As the Army refines how aviation formations deliver distributed sensing and precision effects, Anduril has worked with DEVCOM AvMC to incorporate launched effects onto Army aviation platforms. As part of that effort, Altius 700 has served as the primary launched effects testbed for a new, government-developed universal launch system designed to unlock low-altitude launch capability for launched effects from rotary wing aircraft

The demonstration builds on a prior effort to integrate Altius with Army rotorcraft, culminating in a test event in September 2025 where Army aviators executed multiple successful airborne launches of Altius 700s from an Army UH-60 Blackhawk.

Successful integrations of Altius 700 with Blackhawks and Apaches demonstrate the relevance of rocket-powered airborne Altius launches to a variety of mission sets, from Blackhawk combat support and search and rescue missions to Apache armed reconnaissance and anti-artillery missions. The combination of manned-to-unmanned teaming provides Army leaders autonomous tools that are rapidly deployable and deliver on-demand effects for multiple mission sets.

The event continues the close collaboration between Army aviation and industry to rapidly test and develop the capabilities warfighters need in today’s threat environment. The combined efforts to support the Apache mission represent a critical step forward in advancing the Army’s launched effects vision of the integration of autonomous and attritable assets at mass.

The Altius family of launched effects combines category-leading range and payload capacity with multi-domain launch capability, offering a highly flexible system that unlocks new and novel concepts of operation for a variety of mission sets. The rocket-powered launches of Altius-700 build on prior launches of Altius-600 from UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters beginning in 2020, and bring expanded range, loiter time, and payload capacity that will further enhance the capabilities available to Army aviators.

Source : Anduril Industries