Defense technology company Anduril Industries has signed a lease for a newly built 177,766-square-foot industrial building, marking another significant expansion of its rapidly growing Orange County footprint.<\/p>\n
The Costa Mesa-based Anduril, co-founded by Palmer Luckey, signed in March with Dermody Properties to occupy part of the LogistiCenter at 55, at 1100 Valencia Ave., which sits alongside the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway.<\/p>\n
Anduril officials told the Business Journal they plan to use the Tustin space as a logistics hub for their larger campus operations nearby.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat facility will be used as our centralized warehouse to support our HQ campus and our other surrounding properties,\u201d an Anduril spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
The lease is another signal that Anduril intends to continue large-scale operations in Orange County even as it builds massive facilities in Long Beach and Columbus, Ohio.<\/p>\n
Anduril now leases nearly 1.5 million square feet of office and warehouse space in Orange County, according to Business Journal data. Most of this space is near Anduril\u2019s headquarters campus, The Press, at Harbor Boulevard and Sunflower Avenue in Costa Mesa.<\/p>\n
$60B+ Valuation?<\/p>\n
Anduril is one of several OC companies where investor interest in the new defense world has exploded, including Dzyne Technologies in Irvine and Mach Industries and Karman Space & Defense, both located in Huntington Beach.<\/p>\n
Last year, Anduril\u2019s value soared to more than $30 billion, a number that may go much higher this year.<\/p>\n
Josh Kushner\u2019s Thrive Capital is co-leading a funding round that could nearly double the valuation to $60 billion, Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal reported March 3.<\/p>\n
Anduril aims to shake up the giant defense industry by using manufacturing techniques popular in Silicon Valley, such as combining its proprietary Lattice software system with off-the-shelf components to build drones for both aviation and underwater use, as well as pilotless jets.<\/p>\n
Luckey has been a long-time supporter of President Donald Trump, dating back to his first presidential campaign in 2016. The New York Times said March 2 that Luckey \u201chas become the It Guy as President Trump aims to modernize the U.S. military with autonomous weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anduril has been expanding at a breakneck pace.<\/p>\n
In Columbus, it is building a weapons-making plant that will eventually cover 5 million square feet, employ 4,000 and cost around $2 billion.<\/p>\n
In Long Beach, Anduril is constructing a 1.2-million-square-foot complex across six buildings, combining 750,000 square feet of office space with 435,000 square feet of industrial space dedicated to research and development. The $1 billion facility is expected to be operational in mid-2027 and employ 5,500 people.<\/p>\n
In Orange County last year, Anduril leased 190,000 square feet of space at The Hive near its Costa Mesa headquarters, the largest office lease transaction of 2025. The firm also leased nearly 163,000 square feet of warehouse space at the newly built Harbor Logistics Center in the South Coast Metro area of Santa Ana.<\/p>\n
\u00adLogistiCenter at 55<\/p>\n
Specific terms of the lease in Tustin were not disclosed. According to CoStar, the company plans to move into the building in October.<\/p>\n
Although the exact rent was not revealed, the market asking rent for the property is $1.34 per square foot, according to CoStar. The data company estimates the rent falls between $1.15 and $1.41 per square foot.<\/p>\n
CBRE Vice Chairman Dave Desper and Senior Vice President Nick Spatafore represented the landlord. Hughes Marino Managing Director Tucker Hughes represented Anduril.<\/p>\n
The lease comes as the Tustin 4-to-5-star industrial submarket had a vacancy rate of 35.7%, largely due to new buildings like this one coming to market, according to CoStar.<\/p>\n
LogistiCenter at 55 is a two-building Class A industrial development totaling 311,770 square feet.<\/p>\n
In 2023, Nevada-based Dermody acquired the site from Ricoh Electronics for $88.1 million before demolishing it to build the LogistiCenter.<\/p>\n
LogistiCenter at 55 sat on the market after construction was completed in 2024. It was on the market for about 45 months before this deal closed.<\/p>\n
The Tustin building features 36-foot clear heights, 22 dock-high loading positions and nearby freeway access.<\/p>\n
The site is less than 4 miles from John Wayne Airport and has direct access to Interstates 5 and 405.<\/p>\n
Anduril Teams With Kraken<\/p>\n
Anduril Industries said it is partnering with U.K.-based Kraken Technology Group to build unmanned military boats capable of carrying more than 1,000 pounds of weapons or equipment \u2013 a necessary move as \u201crecent conflicts have rewritten the rules of naval warfare,\u201d the Costa Mesa defense firm said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAffordable, scalable unmanned systems now decide outcomes \u2014 and the U.S. Navy needs small USVs that carry flexible payloads exceeding 1,000 lbs, sustain extended operations, and roll off production lines fast,\u201d the company said in an April 21 statement.<\/p>\n
Anduril will build the K5 KRAKEN and K7 SABRE at U.S. facilities and sustain and support the fleet.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnduril will integrate payloads and Lattice autonomy software on U.S. soil, configuring each vessel for the full range of Navy missions,\u201d the company said. \u201cTo meet allied demand, Kraken will continue a parallel production line, designing a distinct hull variant for allied operational requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n
Financial terms were not disclosed.
\u2014 Kevin Costelloe<\/p>\n
U.S. Air Force Testing Fury<\/p>\n
The U.S. Air Force has started experimental testing of Anduril Industries\u2019 unmanned YFQ-44A Fury fighter jet, taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in California.<\/p>\n
During a recent exercise, Air Force personnel led end-to-end YFQ-44A operations themselves, launching, recovering and turning the aircraft daily, Anduril said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe exercise marked the first time Air Force personnel\u2014not Anduril employees\u2014led end-to-end operations of the semi-autonomous combat aircraft, including launch, recovery, pre- and post-flight checks, weapons loading and unloading, and direct tasking of the air vehicle during taxi and flight,\u201d according to military news site, The Defence Blog.<\/p>\n
Costa Mesa-based Anduril is competing for the unmanned fighter jet contract against General Atomics in San Diego.<\/p>\n
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