American companies Divergent Technologies and Mach Industries have announced the test flight of Venom, an autonomous attack aircraft developed in just 71 days.
The project was presented in Los Angeles as an example of accelerated military systems development, combining digital engineering and modular architecture.
Venom is designed as a technology demonstration platform, demonstrating that defense equipment can go from design to flight in just over two months. This initiative combines Mach’s system architecture and avionics integration with Divergent’s digital manufacturing technology, which is based on additive manufacturing and software-driven design.
One of the key features of the program is the use of monolithic structures produced by 3D printing, replacing traditional assembly methods of hundreds of parts. The so-called Adaptive Production System (DAPS) enabled faster validation cycles by reducing component count, simplifying manufacturing, and shortening the time between initial design and first flight.
Although Venom is not yet fielded, the prototype strengthens the U.S. strategy to accelerate acquisition of drones and low-cost munitions. The combination of flight autonomy and scalable production demonstrates efforts to expand industry capabilities and shorten development times for future military aerospace programs.
source: Defence Blog | Photo: This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by our 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
