Exclusive: Harbinger leaps into defense with In-Q-Tel backing
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Harbinger's unmanned hybrid-electric vehicle. Photo: Courtesy of Harbinger
Harbinger is ready to produce thousands of unmanned hybrid-electric vehicles a year for national-security customers, chief executive John Harris told Axios.
- The news follows the rollout of Harbinger Praesidia, the business' dedicated defense division.
Why it matters: The vehicles are autonomy-ready, easily exportable and can be configured for a wide range of missions, including resupply, communications, troop transport, patrol and counter-drone, according to specs shared with Axios.
- "We are selling what is still, fundamentally, a truck platform. The difference is we are now offering it in a way that is really well-suited to a lot of defense use cases," Harris said.
- "The point is that our capacity is fully available for this," he added. "It's not a bespoke product."
Zoom in: The vehicle, available in 158-, 178- and 208-inch wheelbases, combines an electric motor with a gasoline engine and a generator that can recharge batteries or pump out external power.
- It can hit speeds around 65 miles per hour and is designed to work in extreme temperature ranges.
- "We can choose to run silently or not," said Harris, who previously worked on the Anduril Industries Sentry Tower. "There are so many advantages to a hybrid-electric architecture."
The intrigue: In-Q-Tel now backs Harbinger. A dollar figure was not immediately available.
- In-Q-Tel's support is an "important conduit for us," Harris said. "They serve as a pipeline into the defense community."
- Harbinger also recently announced a partnership with American Rheinmetall.
- "The contracting path to get one of our vehicles into the hands of" the Defense Department will "almost always run through a prime," Harris said.
Catch up quick: Harbinger employs around 500 people, mostly in California. It raised $160 million in November, bringing its total to $358 million. Investors include FedEx.
