Since securing the contract, Mach Industries has made significant progress on the Strategic Strike programme. By the end of September 2024, the company had finalised the missile’s design and, by mid-January 2025, successfully conducted vertical takeoff tests leading to full-performance wingborne flight.
Ongoing efforts are now centred on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) visual and radio frequency (RF) sensing techniques. These enhancements will enable Strategic Strike to operate effectively in GPS- and communication-denied environments, improving its battlefield reliability.
Strategic Strike boasts a range of 290 kilometres and is equipped with a warhead exceeding 10 kilograms. Its combination of vertical takeoff capability, high speed, and extended range introduces a novel combat solution for modern military forces.
The development of low-cost, man-portable intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets has outpaced traditional strike capabilities. Presently, engaging high-value targets requires coordination across multiple military branches or command levels, posing operational challenges.
Strategic Strike aims to bridge this gap by significantly enhancing a manoeuvre force’s ability to engage high-value targets beyond the forward line of troops. This innovation ensures greater autonomy and flexibility in the battlefield, addressing critical tactical shortcomings.
A key objective of the programme is to enable launch from beyond enemy radar detection range. This reduces the likelihood of detection, enhances mission success rates, and improves the survivability of launch teams operating in contested environments.
With Strategic Strike, tactical units will have the capability to neutralise key enemy assets such as radar installations and artillery systems from a safe distance. This development enhances operational effectiveness and reduces reliance on joint-service coordination for high-value target engagements.
Ethan Thornton, CEO and Founder of Mach Industries, expressed enthusiasm for the project and the team’s rapid development efforts. “I’m deeply grateful for this opportunity to deliver a war-changing capability to our military,” he said. “The speed at which we’ve taken Strategic Strike from concept to flight in just 14 weeks is a testament to our engineering and manufacturing teams. We are eager to see this programme move from prototyping to full-scale production.”
Mach Industries, headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, is backed by leading venture firms such as Sequoia Capital and Bedrock Capital. The company is committed to solving the challenges of modern warfare with innovative, lethal systems designed to deter kinetic conflict and protect global security.
