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.

Palantir and startup Anduril reportedly are talking with OpenAI, Elon Musk's SpaceX and other tech companies to team up on big contracts to take on defense giants.