Two big defense tech players, Palantir and Anduril, are talking to tech companies including SpaceX, OpenAI, Saronic, and Scale AI about forming a

New Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse just dropped: According to the Financial Times, major defense technology companies Palantir and Palmer Luckey’s Anduril are in conversations with SpaceX and OpenAI (among other tech players) to form a consortium to bid for US government defense contracts.

Along with many smaller defense technology firms, Musk has been heavily critical of legacy defense programs such as Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet, which is set to cost the U.S. government an estimated $1.7 trillion over its lifetime. As an alternative, he has called for the mass production of cheaper AI-powered drones, missiles and submarines.

Palantir Technologies (PLTR) and Anduril Industries are spearheading negotiations to create a consortium of tech companies, with plans to collaboratively pursue Pentagon defense contracts, according to a Financial Times report.

The consortium, which could announce agreements with other tech groups as early as January, is expected to include SpaceX, OpenAI, autonomous shipbuilder Saronic and artificial intelligence data group Scale AI,

The consortium will bring together the heft of some of Silicon Valley's most valuable companies and will leverage their products to provide a more efficient way of supplying the U.S. government with cutting-edge defence and weapons capabilities,