US companies Divergent Technologies and Mach Industries have announced the test of Venom, a prototype autonomous attack aircraft developed in just 71 days.
The project was presented in Los Angeles as an example of acceleration in the development of military systems, combining digital engineering and modular architecture.
Venom is designed as a technology demonstration platform, showing how defense equipment can go from design to flight in just over two months. The initiative combines Mach’s systems architecture and avionics integration with Divergent’s digital manufacturing technology, based on additive manufacturing and software-driven design.
One of the distinctive aspects of the program was the use of monolithic structures produced through 3D printing, which replaced conventional assemblies composed of hundreds of components. The so-called Adaptive Production System (DAPS) reduced the number of components, simplified production and shortened the time between initial design and first flight, enabling faster validation cycles.
While Venom does not yet represent an operational deployment, the prototype reinforces the US strategy to accelerate the acquisition of low-cost drones and munitions. The combination of flight autonomy and scalable manufacturing signals an effort to expand industrial capacity and reduce time in future military aerospace programs.
Source: Defence Blog | Photo: X @Divergent3D | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
In partnership with @Mach_IndustriesVenom moved from clean-sheet concept to flight hardware in just 71 days using the DAPS™ manufacturing platform.
This milestone demonstrates how software-defined manufacturing delivers deployment-ready hardware at a fundamentally different… pic.twitter.com/JuR3h8i4fO
— Divergent (@Divergent3D) February 17, 2026
