Startup aims to equip genetically enhanced dogs with Palmer Luckey’s military tech

A new Texas-based defense startup has a plan to improve military and police dogs in the US: it’s going to genetically modify them and equip them with Anduril’s military technology. Warhound is the brainchild of Anduril’s Palmer Luckey and Ben Lamm, co-founder of Colossal Biosciences (the company that says it’s trying to resurrect extinct animals), and it’s already secured $200 million in funding from investors.

Warhound plans to use Colossal’s work in genetics, cloning, and animal biology to “produce healthier dogs with characteristics suited to demanding missions,” with Anduril then equipping them with its “advanced cybernetic Augments.” That includes eye and ear protection and EagleEye military technology to provide the dogs and their handlers with “greater awareness and protection in the field.”

“Man’s best friend deserves man’s best tech,” Luckey said in the press announcement. Bloomberg reports that despite having helped with the company’s conception, Luckey has no equity or ongoing role in Warhound.

The goal is to reduce dependency on Europe, where 80 percent of US military dogs are currently sourced, and improve the success rate of training the animals for specialist work. According to the startup’s press release, less than half of the dogs procured from overseas are typically deemed fit for service following the current three-year acquisition-and-training pipeline.

In a statement to TechCrunch, Lamm said Colossal is looking to enhance the animals by editing their genes to remove problems like poor eyesight and cancer likelihood, while adding new genes to improve performance “for things like speed and agility or enhance olfactory sensors for bomb sniffing and whatnot.” High-performance working dog breeds like the Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd are the base of their studies, but the plan is to create “a new type of dog.”

These dogs don’t exist yet, but when (or if) they do, Warhound says they’ll be deployed for elite working roles in US military forces, emergency first response teams, and law enforcement. The American Humane Society will help to guide the company and certify its training programs. Marine veteran and intelligence specialist David Spirk has been named as Warhound’s CEO, and said the company’s goal is simple: “healthier dogs, better-prepared teams, and more service members and first responders coming home safely.”