A new US defence startup called Warhound wants to use cloning and genetic engineering to produce better military working dogs — and it has already raised $200 million in its seed round. Warhound is the brainchild of Palmer Luckey, founder of American military technology company Anduril, and Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences — the startup that made headlines for bringing back the dire wolf from extinction in 2025.
Ben Lamm and Palmer Luckey have now teamed up to tackle the problem of American military dogs.
Why is there a problem in the first place?
According to a Fortune magazine report, the US relies heavily on Europe to supply military dogs. Military working dogs are used for tasks such as detecting explosives, searching for people and helping soldiers in dangerous situations.
More than 80% of US military working dogs are purchased from European sources. However, the US is competing with other countries, including China and Russia, to buy suitable dogs.
(Also read: Dire wolves Remus and Romulus turn 1: Here’s how the genetically engineered twins celebrated)
Moreover, less than half of the dogs purchased are eventually considered fit for military service. The process of acquiring and training them takes roughly three years.
What is Warhound hoping to do?
{{/usCountry}}Moreover, less than half of the dogs purchased are eventually considered fit for military service. The process of acquiring and training them takes roughly three years.
What is Warhound hoping to do?
{{/usCountry}}Warhound plans to use biotechnology to produce dogs with desirable characteristics, rather than relying entirely on buying dogs from breeders. Its approach has three main parts:
Identify the best dogs: The company will select dogs that have already completed training successfully and preserve samples of their genetic material in a biobank.
Clone those dogs: It will use the preserved genetic material to create genetically near-identical copies of proven working dogs. The goal is to reproduce desirable inherited traits. Lamm, however, cautioned that “training and environment will always influence performance.”
Edit genes where appropriate: Warhound also plans to screen for harmful genetic variants linked to inherited diseases. It is exploring whether other genetic changes could improve the dogs' performance.
The startup plans to ensure that “no dog enters service carrying genetic markers known to cause common career-ending conditions.”
(Also read: Colossal - The company that brought dire wolves back from extinction)
What about animal welfare?
“For generations, working dogs have protected America’s police officers, firefighters, search-and-rescue teams, and warfighters. Warhound is developing technology to advance their health, safety, and performance, combining licensed technology from Colossal Biosciences and Anduril. Animal welfare is central to that mission, with American Humane certification supporting our commitment to the care and well-being of every dog,” Warhound says on its website.
So when will these genetically modified dogs be available?
The company says it has already collected genetic material from its first group of dogs and is working on genetic edits. It expects to deliver its first dogs in approximately two years.
“Breeding and raising a dog takes the time it takes,” Lamm said.
However, Warhound has no signed customers yet and is still in talks with canine experts across the national security community.
Warhound has raised $200 million in seed funding. Its backers include Sequoia Capital, In-Q-Tel, Neogenesis, ARK Invest, Franklin Templeton and Lux Capital, among others.