US 'Killer Weapons' Firm Anduril Opens Base in Israel, World on Alert

The world’s largest defence technology startup, Anduril, is exploring opportunities to build its operations in Israel. This move marks the latest expansion effort by the American military technology company. According to information obtained by Israeli media outlet Calcalist, Anduril is currently in discussions to recruit a local manager who will be tasked with building relationships with Israeli startups and identifying strategic partnership opportunities. In recent weeks, the company has reportedly held meetings with several potential candidates from Elbit Systems and the Directorate of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D) under the Israeli Ministry of Defence. Anduril is also considering establishing a development centre in Israel and recruiting local talent to support its operations in the country. Anduril is known as a developer of unmanned aerial systems, autonomous platforms, and military robotics. Last month, the company successfully raised US$5 billion in funding at a valuation of US$61 billion. The funding round was led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and Thrive Capital, the investment firm founded by Josh Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner. Anduril was founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, a technology entrepreneur then in his 20s. Before founding Anduril, Luckey sold the virtual reality company Oculus VR to Facebook for US$2 billion in 2014. The company is now considered one of the few startups that have successfully transformed into a primary supplier for the defence industry of the United States and its allied nations. Besides Anduril, only a handful of companies have achieved a similar position, one of which is Palantir Technologies. In 2025, Anduril recorded revenues of US$2.2 billion and employed approximately 7,000 staff. This number has skyrocketed compared to the roughly 90 employees the company had in 2019. The company’s valuation has also surged sharply. In the previous funding round conducted a year earlier, Anduril was still valued at around US$30 billion. Last February, Palmer Luckey, who once described himself as a ‘radical Zionist’, visited Israel. The visit was organised by Josh Wolfe, founder of venture capital firm Lux Capital and one of Anduril’s early investors. During the visit, Luckey met with Benjamin Netanyahu. He was also introduced to Israel’s defence technology startup ecosystem through the DDR&D. The agency arranged meetings for Luckey with 10 Israeli defence startups, including Smart Shooter, which is now listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. He also met with companies such as Kela, Oz, Skana Robotics, Magnus Metal, eyesAtop, and AriEV. Anduril has also signed several agreements with Israeli companies. One of these is a collaboration with ASIO, which is expected to supply components for Anduril’s unmanned aerial systems. Additionally, Anduril is reportedly interested in the security startup LiteVision, a portfolio company of venture capital firm Kinetica. LiteVision develops camera systems for drones and has previously received investment from 8VC, an early investor in Palantir that also backs Anduril. Kinetica Chairman Yitz Applbaum assessed that Israel is the most logical location for Anduril’s expansion. ‘Israel is the most logical place for Anduril to be,’ Applbaum was quoted as saying by Calcalist. He added that the meetings held in Israel generated significant interest from their side. They are interested in investing in startups there, acquiring companies, and potentially selling products to the Israeli defence industry and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in the future.