Latest news with #MachIndustries
Axios
18-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
Exclusive: Mach Industries and Heven Drones partner on defense production
Mach Industries and Heven Drones are teaming up, with previously undisclosed plans to produce the latter's unmanned aerial vehicles at the former's flagship factory, Forge Huntington. The big picture: California-based Mach Industries and Heven Drones, which is located in Florida and with roots in Israel, want to together "provide an offset" to Chinese dominance in the drone market, they told Axios. Pentagon officials used similar language to describe Replicator 1.0, launched in 2023 to amass thousands of unmanned battlefield assets. Zoom in: Heven's H100, H2D55 and Raider drones will be pumped out at the plant, 115,000 square-feet down the road from other defense-tech players like Anduril Industries. There are commitments to codevelop components, including avionics, radios and propulsion systems. Heven specializes in hydrogen-powered aircraft. It unveiled Raider in February at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi. What they're saying: "Our customers urgently need thousands, and eventually tens of thousands, of drones to be deployed in-theater," Heven Drones CEO Bentzion Levinson said. The goal here, he added, is "quick-turn, full-scale American manufacturing." Flashback: Mach weeks ago said it was selected by the U.S. Army Applications Laboratory to work on a vertical-takeoff cruise missile dubbed Strategic Strike. HIMARS range, cruise missile speed and Hellfire effects."
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US defense firm fights ‘Made in China' engine claim on new cruise missile
Controversy has erupted regarding whether Mach Industries, a U.S. defense contractor, could be using Chinese jet technology for at least one of its products. This claim follows a recent promotional video on social media, its latest vertical take-off cruise missile - "Viper". The video was published on March 5, and soon after allegations began to appear, the weapon system seemed to be powered using what appeared to be very similar to a Chinese-made Swiwin SW800 Pro engine. In the video, the missile system can be seen taking off vertically before diving toward a target, much the same way a kamikaze drone operates. The video also highlighted that the missile is primarily 3D-printed. Company representatives have since denied such claims. On March 6, the company's founder responded to the claims in the strongest terms. 'A few people have mentioned the engine, so I figured I'd touch on it. The Viper ships with a JetCat; there are no Chinese components on any of our airframes,' he wrote in a social media post. Mach Industries was founded in 2022 by Ethan Thornton. Since then, this next-generation defense technology and manufacturing company has been making headlines. Just one day before the video's release, the company announced that it had been selected by the Army Applications Laboratory to develop a vertical take-off precision cruise missile dubbed 'Strategic Strike." According to Mach Industries, its strategic strike cruise missile boasts a range of 180 miles (290 km) and can carry a warhead exceeding 22 pounds (10kg). It also reported that AI-powered visual recognition and radio frequency (RF) sensing technologies benefit the system. As comments continued comparing the JetCat engine with the Swiwin SW800 Pro, he replied, "As for the airframe in the video, we feel comfortable blowing up Chinese components for testing purposes.' Interestingly, since the controversy, some of Thornton's social media accounts, like X, have since been either deleted or locked. It is possible that the missile is still in its early stages of development, with the primary goal of testing its aerodynamic design rather than its propulsion system. In such a case, Mach Industries could have used an off-the-shelf civilian engine to reduce costs. However, this cannot be verified at the time of writing. If the claims are true, this raises questions about U.S. and Chinese restrictions on military tech imports and exports. China, for its part, has banned the export of structural components, engines, and related manufacturing technologies, including gas turbine engines, since May 2024. Yet despite these restrictions, Mach Industries may have been able to acquire a Swiwin SW800 Pro and import it. This engine is currently available online for 128,000 yuan (US$17,600). It is essential to note that Swiwin Turbine, the manufacturer based in China's Hebei province, specializes in small-scale aviation engines for applications such as model aircraft and personal flying devices. 'Since the engine does not fall under China's military-use category, export bans have not affected it. The SW800 Pro was showcased at the Zhuhai Airshow last year,' a Swiwin spokesperson said in response to the claims. If Mach Industries did manage to acquire the engine through a third-party supplier for military development, it would indicate that China's export controls may not be as effective as intended. At the same time, the enforcement of the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which prohibit the integration of foreign components that pose potential supply chain risks into US military equipment, may also be lacking in strictness.
South China Morning Post
16-03-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Did a US military contractor use a Chinese-made jet engine in ‘Strategic Strike' missile?
A US defence contractor is facing scrutiny after allegations surfaced that its latest weapon system may be using a jet engine that was made in China and sold online. Advertisement On March 5, California-based start-up Mach Industries posted a promotional video on social media showcasing its latest product – a vertical take-off cruise missile. In the video, the missile is seen launching vertically from a stationary position on the ground before dramatically diving towards a target, resembling the attack pattern of a kamikaze drone. The footage also highlighted the missile's 3D-printed body and engine assembly. But it did not take long for viewers analysing the video to suggest that the engine design closely resembled the Swiwin SW800 Pro, a Chinese-manufactured model. Mach Industries was founded in 2022 by Ethan Thornton, who is now just 21 years old. The next-generation defence technology and manufacturing company has been making headlines of late. Just one day before the video's release, it announced it had been selected by the Army Applications Laboratory to develop a vertical take-off precision cruise missile, dubbed 'Strategic Strike'. Advertisement
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US Army's new vertical takeoff cruise missile packs HIMARS punch, 180-mile range
Mach Industries has been awarded a significant contract by the Army Applications Laboratory to develop the Strategic Strike, a vertical takeoff (VTO) cruise missile aimed at enhancing the precision strike capabilities of maneuver units. In a press release on March 4, the company said this contract, granted in the third quarter of 2024, positions Mach Industries at the forefront of defense technology, particularly in improving brigade-level operational efficacy. Following the contract award, Mach Industries moved quickly to advance the Strategic Strike program, successfully finalizing the missile's design by the end of September 2024. By mid-January 2025, the company had completed critical testing phases, demonstrating a successful transition from vertical takeoff to full-performance wingborne flight. Currently, the team is integrating advanced artificial intelligence (AI) visual and radio frequency (RF) sensing technologies to facilitate operations in environments where GPS and communications systems are compromised. The Strategic Strike missile boasts an impressive operational range of 180 miles (290 kilometers), capable of carrying a warhead exceeding 22 pounds (10 kilograms). This unique combination of vertical takeoff capability, high speed, and substantial payload capacity distinguishes it in the current landscape of military assets. Upon completion of the program, Mach Industries aims to deliver a system that blends the range of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), the speed of a cruise missile, and the targeting precision similar to Hellfire missiles. The evolving battlefield has introduced new challenges for maneuver units, notably the rise of low-cost, portable intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets. These advancements have enabled forces to gather intelligence from greater distances than they can effectively engage. Modifying high-value targets often necessitates coordination across multiple military branches and organizational levels. In contrast, the design of the Strategic Strike missile seeks to markedly enhance a maneuver force's capability to strike high-value targets situated beyond the forward lines of troops. This development is anticipated to yield a flexible strike platform that can deliver significant payloads over extended ranges, enhancing operational effectiveness in various combat scenarios. One of the critical goals of the Strategic Strike missile is to enable launches from outside the reach of enemy radar systems. This approach minimizes the likelihood of detection and significantly enhances the survival prospects for launch teams operating in hostile environments. As a result, tactical maneuver units will be able to target and engage high-value military assets, such as radar installations and artillery units, without placing themselves directly in harm's way. Ethan Thornton, CEO and Founder of Mach Industries, expressed his appreciation for the contract and his team's progress. 'It's a tremendous opportunity to deliver a capability that could transform military operations. I'm continually impressed by our engineering and manufacturing teams, who have taken Strategic Strike from initial design to flight testing in just 14 weeks. The dedication and talent of our product team will provide valuable advancements for the U.S. military at a critical juncture,' Thornton noted. He emphasized the anticipation within the company regarding the potential for large-scale missile production to deter future conflicts. The development of the Strategic Strike missile appears poised to substantially impact how the military addresses emerging threats, reinforcing the importance of innovation in defense technologies. As Mach Industries works towards bringing this advanced weapon system to deployment, the implications for future combat scenarios remain a topic of significant interest within military circles.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mach Industries, founded by 21-year-old Ethan Thornton, lands US Army contract, builds weapons factory
Sequoia-backed Mach Industries, the defense tech founded by 21-year-old Ethan Thornton, landed a contract with the U.S. Army and has plans for its first factory, Thornton told TechCrunch. The factory will be 115,000 square feet in Huntington Beach, California, where Mach's headquarters is located, CEO Thorton said. While that sounds like an expensive zip code for a weapons factory, Southern California – in the shadow of SpaceX – has become a hotspot for America's burgeoning defense tech industry. Mach is also announcing it was selected by the Army Applications Laboratory to develop a vertical takeoff precision cruise missile it calls 'Strategic Strike.' This was a developmental contract that was awarded in the third quarter of 2024. Thornton tells TechCrunch he and the U.S. Army are announcing this contract now because the technology successfully met its initial flight tests last month. As for the factory, that's another area where defense tech companies like Mach, as well as Anduril, are trying to innovate. Mach's factory, which it calls Forge 1, will be one of many 'decentralized' factories the company plans to build. 'Instead of very centralized factories, we will build many, many smaller factories to actually have a survival defense industrial base,' he explained. The factories will be designed to take raw materials through final assembly. In addition to other as-yet-to-be determined sites in the U.S., he also hopes to have international locations. The Huntington factory is already building both of the company's main products, a weapon called Glide and a super light jet-powered vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called Viper. Viper is known for its completely vertical takeoffs, requiring no runway, and Mach says it is up to 300 times less expensive to build than traditional UAVs. 'Viper is manufacturable in that decentralized sort of web of factories, and that's a huge deal. You don't require specialty tooling to make it, which means that if the U.S. has to ramp up production, we won't rely on these centralized locations,' he said. Glide is a bomb deployed from a balloon-like vehicle positioned at the edge of space. This is supposed to give Glide more range (Mach claims it will have infinite range to drop on targets anywhere on Earth) and also make it more difficult to shoot down. Thornton says this first factory should one day be able to produce 1,000 Vipers and 3,000 Glides a month. Mach Industries is a buzzy defense tech startup because it was Sequoia's first defense tech investment and also because Thornton was a teen when he founded the company. He dropped out of MIT to work on Mach when he was just 19 and soon landed Sequoia's Stephanie Zhan and Shaun Maguire as investors. They led Mach's $5.7 million seed round announced in June 2023. A few months later, in October, 2023, Geoff Lewis founder of Bedrock Capital led Mach's $79 million Series A. While many of the defense tech industry's founders are young (Palmer Luckey was in his mid 20's when he founded Anduril) the impetus for this company came when Thornton was still in high school. 'Back in high school, I ran a wood and metal workshop to actually bootstrap the company and start making initial products. And then probably the highest risk thing I did, I dropped out of MIT – before we had capital, or before I had a team,' he said. Mach has since become one of the 'it' companies in defense tech. For instance, it's one of the handful of companies that famed former Palantir recruiter Peterson Conway works with. It now employs dozens. Sign in to access your portfolio
