WASHINGTON — Israel Aerospace Industries has exclusively licensed mid-sized tech firm Palladyne AI to build IAI’s Harpy, Harop and Mini-Harpy attack drones in the US, the companies announced today.
Initially targeting the US Army’s Long Range Precision Munitions competition this fall, Palladyne will “Americanize” the drones for US requirements and upgrade them with its autonomous swarming AI, Palladyne CEO Ben Wolff said in an exclusive interview.
The LRPM sources-sought notice specifically seeks “a precise, long-range (greater than 100km) capability against Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS).” In layman’s terms, that means hunting enemy anti-aircraft systems, especially their radars — a mission where IAI and Palladyne say Harpy in particular has a combat-proven record of success. The notice “anticipates awarding a prototype Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) in October 2026” worth $100-$200 million.
But there’s plenty more drone/loitering munition money in the budget to go after, Wolff argued: Palladyne just has to have a little patience.
“There are budgeted line items that have funding,” he said. “They have not turned into specific programs of record yet or even necessarily RFIs [Requests For Information] or RFPs [Requests For Proposal], but… I would be shocked if there aren’t five key funded programs that we are applying for, submitting for, over the next 12 months.”
