Ghost (Ghost-X) vs Vector (and Trinity) in 2026

Ghost (Ghost-X)

Anduril's Ghost (current Ghost-X variant) is a helicopter-style single-rotor autonomous VTOL small drone for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, redesigned on Ukrainian combat feedback from the 2020 Ghost 4. It carries about 20 to 25 pounds over roughly 75 to 90 minutes and 25 kilometers, runs Anduril's Lattice autonomy, and sits on the Defense Innovation Unit's China-free Blue UAS list.

Its autonomy is verified-substantive, not marketing: Lattice delivers fielded onboard autonomy including radio-silent flight, single-operator multi-drone teaming, and automatic low-battery mission hand-off, and the registry wires Ghost to the Lattice brain (not to Shield AI's Hivemind). The deployment record is strong: a September 2024 US Army Company-Level small-UAS Tranche 1 selection under a $14.417 million ten-year contract, Replicator fielding to Brigade Combat Teams, more than 1,200 unit-hours across thirteen Army units, and combat use in Ukraine since 2022. It is defense procurement equipment sold on contract; there is no consumer price.

Vector (and Trinity)

Quantum Systems' Vector is a fixed-wing VTOL tactical ISR (reconnaissance) drone from the Munich-based new-defense maker founded in 2015 by ex-Bundeswehr pilot Florian Seibel. It is sold to governments, not consumers, so there is no consumer price. Its fielding is the cleanest of the new-defense set: Germany-financed deliveries to Ukraine reached 619 Vector units by April 2025 (up from 438 across 2022-2023 orders), alongside 100 donated Trinity survey drones.

The company raised a EUR 160M Series C in May 2025 (the first European dual-use unicorn) and a EUR 180M round in November 2025 at roughly a EUR 3B / $3.5B valuation. On AI substance the Vector is genuinely AI-powered ISR (onboard detection, combat-reported acoustic artillery detection), but it is a reconnaissance platform whose autonomy is processing-grade, not strike-grade: a lower autonomy ambition than Anduril or Helsing, and much of the AI detail rests on company description.

Recorded at commercial maturity on fielding evidence. A plan to build 400 Vector drones in Ukraine, EUR 300-500M revenue projections, and a possible 2026 IPO are claimed but not verified.