Anduril seeks FAA approval to flight-test Roadrunner drone in Texas

US defence technology company Anduril Industries has petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to conduct developmental test flights of its Roadrunner uncrewed jet at a private range in Texas.

The petition, submitted in September, asks for approval to fly the vertical take-off and landing aircraft at an access-controlled private test range in a rural part of west Texas, on land leased by the company. The filing does not disclose the exact location.

Anduril said the private range would supplement flight testing already carried out at US government-owned facilities. In the company's account, development depends on flying many sorties in close succession, a tempo it says only a dedicated private range can support. It also asked to test as a civil operator on its own schedule, so that work is not limited by the availability of federal test infrastructure and so it can serve current and prospective government customers.

Roadrunner was revealed in 2023. At the time the company described the concept as a reusable missile, positioned between a munition and a UAV. Two versions exist: the explosively armed Roadrunner-M, intended as a low-cost drone interceptor, and the baseline Roadrunner, used for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and airborne sensing.

The delta-wing design launches from a ground container under its own power and can land vertically using retractable landing struts. Each vehicle is powered by two thrust vectoring turbojet engines designed internally by Anduril. It is the ISR variant that the company wants to fly in Texas.