It’s not just about woolly mammoths and dire wolves anymore. Ben Lamm, best known for his Colossal Biosciences company that is attempting to resurrect extinct species, and Palmer Luckey, who heads up defense darling Anduril, are partnering in a new venture called Warhound that seeks to develop enhanced dogs designed for military and law enforcement operations. Warhound emerged from stealth mode late last week with $200 million in seed money from investors.

Warhound combines Colossal’s expertise in genetics, cloning and animal biology with Anduril’s abilities in cybernetic augments, software and battlefield situational awareness. The move is prompted by a shortage of the desirable breeds that are primarily supplied from Europe, says Warhound. The first enhanced dogs are scheduled to arrive next year and be introduced into service within two years.

Since the formation of the U.S. Army K-9 Corps in 1942, military dogs have protected troops and taken on risky missions like explosives detection. Lamm says the selection process for military dogs is due for a change.

“We’re still relying on outdated approaches to breeding and training these extraordinary animals, with too many never making it through the process,” says Lamm. “We have an opportunity to fundamentally change that.”

Warhound is quick to point out that it will develop its enhanced dogs with certification input from the American Humane Society, which already works with the U.S military in its Pups4Patriots and reunification programs. The Pentagon’s military dogs program currently includes about 2,200 working dog teams. About 80% of the dogs are sourced from Europe, a dependency the Pentagon would like to reduce. Less than half of the dogs procured and trained over a three-year period reportedly don’t pass muster.

For Warhound’s purposes, Belgian Malinois and German Shepherds will provide the cell lines for its bioengineering work. Blood samples also have been collected from “top performers” already in the field. Those cell lines, from dogs already valued for military and defense missions, will be modified to improve traits associated with better mission performance. These would include speed, agility, longevity and scent detection. Eventually, genetic enhancements would likely include olfactory receptor genes from wolves, for example. Colossal is well-known for the gene-edited wolves associated with its Dire Wolf De-Extinction Project. Dire wolves went extinct 10,000 years ago. Scientists estimate the bite force of a dire wolf would be almost twice that of a large modern dog.

At the same time, health-related modifications would include better eyesight, reduced susceptibility to diseases like cancer, hip dysplasia and muscle atrophy. ViaGen, a Colossal-owned cloning company, will help produce the animals.

Anduril would add hardware and software that would include items like protective goggles and armored vests, with the latter employing sensors that would relay information to handlers. “Man’s best friend deserves man’s best tech,” commented Luckey.

David Spirk is the Warhound CEO and comes to the job with a background in government intelligence services and AI-centric Palantir Technologies.

Colossal recently announced the development of an AI platform called GenoMorph that it is using to resurrect the dodo bird as its initial project. GenoMorph calculates which genes among birds might be the most compatible with missing beak genes from the dodo bird which went extinct in the 17th century. Colossal also says it plans to use GenoMorph to add dodo bird genes to the Nicobar pigeon, the dodo’s closest living relative. Colossal resurrection targets include the woolly mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger, the bluebuck antelope, and a flightless bird called the moa.

Earlier this year, Colossal said it is partnering with the Trump Administration to develop a national repository of genetic material from endangered species that would be cryo-stored at the company’s Texas facility. Critics say the program weakens endangered species protection for animals still alive that might stand in the way of oil exploration, for example.