American suicide drones failed military tests: Two consecutive crashes
According to Reuters on the 26th, air force documents show that the drones of the American defense technology startup Anduril crashed twice during military tests this month, raising doubts about their claimed combat capabilities.
The report said that at the beginning of this month, a U.S. aircraft flew over Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and deployed an "Altius" drone manufactured by Anduril to test its flight and reconnaissance capabilities.
According to documents disclosed by the U.S. Air Force, this drone fell to the ground from 8,000 feet (approximately 2,438 meters) in the air. The documents stated that shortly after, another drone of the same model also crashed in a different test while spinning.
Anduril claims that its "Altius" drone is already combat-ready and has delivered hundreds of this model to Ukraine. The company states that "this type of drone can be launched from the ground, air or sea, and has the capability for long-range strikes or continuous flight for several hours." The company's 33-year-old founder, Palmer Rake, claimed in March that the "Altius" drone had "destroyed Russian targets worth hundreds of millions of dollars." In August, he also went to Taiwan to deliver the first batch of "Altius-600M" suicide drones (loitering munitions) purchased by the Taiwanese authorities.
However, according to Reuters, according to statements from more than a dozen relevant individuals, including former employees of Anduril, military officials, and personnel who have used drones on the battlefield in Ukraine, the failure of the "Altius" drones during military tests this month, as well as the setbacks encountered by another of the company's "Ghost" drones on the battlefield in Ukraine, highlight the gap between the company's claimed combat capabilities and its actual performance in combat.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1850049381536969/
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